The Other Side Of Him
by indjee
Summary: Edward's the hottest single in town. That's why it's no surprise Bella's BFF Tanya falls head over heels for him. But what happens when it turns out he isn't interested in her, but in Bella? ALL HUMAN
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**Hi everyone. I decided I'd like to start a new story. I had this idea and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. So now here's the first chapter.  
Have fun! **

**A/N: Sorry for the false hope everyone. This is not a new chapter.. But when I read this again, I thought something was wrong. If you read the end, you might notice I changed a few lines, but maybe you won't, because it seems pretty normal. Anyways, not to worry though; I'll update the next chapter this Friday!**

* * *

"Tanya, I don't know about this." I said to my best friend as I looked in the mirror. I was wearing a denim mini skirt and a satin blue halter top. That were the clothes my best friend suggested I'd wear because apparently they were _so me_. Personally, I thought I looked terrible.

"Listen Bella. You look amazing and incredibly sexy. If I were a boy, man I'd know what to do." Tanya winked at me as she said that.

It was sort of weird that Tanya and I had been best friends for years. We both lived in a stupid place in Alaska, that was true. But we had absolutely nothing in common. Still, we could laugh with each other, have the weirdest fun about stuff that, truth to be told, were not funny _at all_. But of course, there were downsides to being friends with Tanya. She was unbelievably gorgeous, smart, funny. The boys always liked her. Never me. Which wasn't a nightmare, I never really had any interest in a guy before. Never. But still, sometimes you could use a confident boost. Tanya had loads of that. Next to her, I was always shy, not spontaneous (Which Tanya, of course, was.) And I was pretty. I mean, I definitely wasn't ugly. I looked pretty good. But next to her, yeah, I looked pretty plain.

The summer holidays had just begun. It was the first weekend in ages that we didn't have to do work. She and I both worked in a restaurant. The most number 1 restaurant in Alaska, as said by multiple magazines and official lists. We both loved our job, but right now, we just wanted to party for one night.

Well, okay. She wanted to party for one night. I was just here to, I don't know, make sure she'd be home tomorrow morning.

"Not funny Tanya. Anyway, I'm still not sure about this.. Shouldn't I wear a longer skirt? This one is really short.." Tanya rolled her eyes. Her skirt was even shorter than mine. But hey, I wasn't like her. I didn't like the attention. It was a good thing I was friends with Tanya then, she always had everyone's attention. Nobody minded me. Yes!

"Look, Bella. Stop whining. Come on. We're both ready. We look gorgeous. We're gonna have some fun tonight, 'kay?" She asked me, both her eyebrows raised as she waited for my answer. I sighed, I didn't have a choice. I already agreed to go with her.

"Yes. I'm ready. Let's go." We walked outside, where a cab immediately came to a stop. Of course, Tanya.

I loved her a lot, she was a great friend. But sometimes I wished she wasn't that attractive.

"Hey there beautiful." The driver said as Tanya got in the cab. I was already in there.

Tanya sighed. "Just drive us please. Club DNA, if you will." The driver turned around, obviously disappointed. I looked at Tanya at exactly the right time, popped our lips and whipped our hair out of our faces. That was our secret sign. I don't exactly know what for actually. We just did it all the time. Mostly when guys were hitting on us, okay Tanya, and we just made them go away, again; Tanya. Or when we wanted to cheer each other up. But we also did it when we were just having fun. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The point is, we did our secret sign again. We both laughed quietly and made weird faces at each other until the car came to a stop. Finally. We're there.

Club DNA was our favourite club. I'm not really a clubbing person, but when I have to, I always want to go here. I knew people here. We made loads of friends, I knew a couple of DJ's and the place just.. well we both loved it. The music was always good, so Tanya could dance. I was on the side a lot, sitting at our table. There were a few friends we've made there. I had become friends with Jessica, Angela, Kate, Irina and Lauren. Though Lauren and I had our issues. This night, we walked in and immediately headed for our table. Jessica, Kate Irina and Angela were already there, but there were two other girls sitting there. Both breathtakingly gorgeous, though they were totally different.

"Hey girls." Tanya and I said at the same time, starting to hug everyone, except the two strangers.

"Girls! How's it going?" Kate shouted, the music was really loud.

"Well, what are these strangers doing here?" Tanya joked, smiling at the two girls. There was a short one, with short, black hair and another one. She was tall with beautiful blonde hair. She was even more beautiful than Tanya. I never knew that was possible.

The blonde one started to speak first. "Hey, I'm Rosalie. We're here with a group of friends on a holiday. Well, just visiting some old friends." She gave me and Tanya a huge smile. I liked her already.

"I'm Alice." The black-haired girl said. "You know, one of the friends she's talking about." Alice said and added a wink. Wow, a really nice girl too, I thought.

"Hi," Tanya started. "I'm Tanya. This is Bella. We actually live in this stupid place.." She said, though she kept smiling, making it clear it was a joke. "So who are you visiting?"

"Do you really want to make a huge conversation over here? Let's talk about this stuff later! It's time for partying now!" Rosalie shouted. We all lifted a glass and toasted.

"To the fun!" Kate shouted and we all shouted.

Like I said, clubbing wasn't really my thing, but I had to admit, if you only did it once in a while, you could have loads of fun. Rosalie, Tanya, Kate, Jessica and Irina went dancing. So basically, it was only me, Alice and Angela. Lauren didn't show up tonight. But hey, I didn't mind.

"So who _are_ you visiting?" I asked Alice, because I was very curious now. It'd probably be someone we knew. Because Tanya and I are a waitress, we know a lot of people. Especially since we were awarded best restaurant of Alaska, there were a lot of people coming there. So we met loads. I loved my job. I was a very shy person, but I loved the fact that sometimes people would just come to me and start an entire conversation. I could be shy, but when someone came to me like that, I loved to talk to that person.

"Well, we're actually all visiting our step mom and dad. We say we're a group of friends, but actually, we're family."

"Your mom and dad?" I asked, just to check.

"Yeah, well.. Step mom and step dad." Alice winked.

"And you call that 'old friends'? Since when?" Alice laughed at my remark.

"Yeah, I know it sounds weird. They're not actually old friends. We just say that. We all live somewhere totally different now, but once in a while we all come together to visit them and we always have a blast. Like right now, I'm having so much fun." I nodded in agreement.

"I know. I don't even know you longer than an hour, but I feel like I've known you all my life." We both laughed and she said she agreed with me. "So how long are you staying here?" I asked her.

"We're planning on staying here the whole summer. I know there's not a lot of action out here, but hey, I'm sure we'll make the most of it." Alice started laughing a bit.

"So, I have to ask. With who did you all come? You, Rosalie… And..?"

"My brothers, Jasper, Emmett and Edward." She said.

"Oh, and where are they?" Angela asked. Alice and I both looked at Angela at the same time and started laughing. "What?!" Angela asked.

"Ang, you haven't said a word the whole night, but when Alice says she had brothers, you immediately start speaking and asking where they are!" She laughed now too.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It doesn't matter." Alice answered her. "But they're here too. I'm sorry, I don't know where. They're probably just hanging out in this place somewhere." We all laughed.

"Alice!" A strange voice yelled. "Alice!" Someone yelled again.

"Well, speaking of the devil.." Alice told us, so that only we could hear her.

"Guys!" She yelled back, as three guys walked to her. "Angela, Bella, this is my boyfriend Jasper," She pointed at a cute blond guy. "And my brothers Emmett, " Now she made us look at a big, teddybear-like guy. "And Edward." One word: Wow.

* * *

**That's it for the first chapter. I hope you all liked it. It was a little introduction of course..  
Tell me what you think!**

**Xx me**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter to my new story! I hope you liked it, personally I always like writing new fanfics, it makes me feel like I can make everyone better than the last one. I hope I will succeed. :)  
Anyway, Have fun!**

* * *

My mouth dropped open for about two seconds before I reminded myself to close it. Wow, Alice should've mentioned her brothers were, there was no way of denying it, hot. Way cuter than any boys I've ever went out with, talked with, whatever. They could've fooled me if they told me they were making millions as male supermodels. I definitely would've believed them.

But her youngest brother, though he was still a year older than Alice, made my heart do a tiny flip. Wow. I believe his name was Edward, but I didn't really hear anything anymore when I saw him. He was tall, with reddish brown hair and piercing green eyes. I wouldn't say no if he ever wanted to take me to a 'quiet place.' I realized I hadn't said anything in a while, though.

"Hi." I managed to choke out. "I'm…Bella." I tried to look away from Edward, but it was hard. He was so cute. The three of them smiled, maybe they were laughing at me in their heads.

"Hi." A voice next to me said. RIGHT! Angela was here too. "I'm Angela." I looked at Angela, who was smiling at them, pretending as if they weren't the hottest guys she had ever seen. Well, maybe they weren't. But that was hard to believe, seeing as how they were hotter than any male model I've ever seen in magazines, let alone real life.

"Hey, Bella, Angela. You're here with the two of you?" And Edward had a British accent! That was so adorable. It wasn't over the top though, but definitely attractive. He could talk to me with that sweet voice anytime I want.

Yeah, maybe I was a little too caught up in my daydreams.

"No." Angela said. "No we're here with…"

"We're here with some friends." I said, cutting Angela off. "They're down, you know, dancing." I didn't want Edward to find out about Tanya. Yes, that was mean, she was my best friend. Tanya and I had agreed not to steal any guys, but I knew this was different. Because first, Edward and I were not together, just in my dreams. And second, he wasn't like any other guy we normally date. If she were dating him, I'd probably try to seduce him myself. Though he would be crazy if he chose me instead of Tanya.

"Guys, would you like to join us?" Alice said to her brothers. _Oh please do!_ I was begging in my head. "Or are you having too much fun walking around, pretending to be drunk and pick up girls?" Okay, that was a bit stupid to hear after worshipping him in my head.

"I don't know guys, should we join them?" The blonde said, I believe his name's Jasper.

"Well… I don't know either. It looks kind of boring." The teddy bear said, Emmett, I believe.

"Yeah guys, but we could make it fun." Edward said. Wow, the sound of his voice made my heart melt. Yeah, I know that's a cliché. But have you ever felt it?

"True." Emmett said.

"Yeah." Jasper added wisely.

"Let's stay with them." Emmett said. "Hey, you said you're friends were with you too, right?" Alice nodded in agreement. "And are they coming?"

Alice started laughing. "Yes Emmett, they probably are. Rose is with them too."

"Okay, that's cool. I should probably go there, then. Rose always picks my sort of girls to hang out with.." Emmett said with a wink before looking shocked. "Oh! Not that you guys aren't, you know, fun and stuff. It's just…I'm sort of the party dude." He said, trying to make up for what he said, though it didn't even bother me. And I though that Angela wouldn't mind either. "I mean, I could party with you, too. It's just, I like to dance." Again, he looked as if he wasn't satisfied making his apologies. "Not that I can't dance with you, I would if you would too. I'd love to dance with anyone of you, but the fact is that none of you are dancing.. And downstairs they are. Dancing, I mean. Because Rose always picks the girls that want to dance.."

"Emmett." I said. "It's okay. Seriously. Go downstairs, have fun with the girls Rose pick out.. We don't care." Everyone started laughing and Emmett looked relieved. He nodded with a smile on his face and went downstairs.

"Glad he's gone.." Jasper said and everybody started laughing again. "What? The guy's all hyped up. I mean, we get it, you want to pick op some girls, fine by us. Stop saying it and actually _do_ pick up some girls.." Edward laughed at his joke and just because he laughed, I started laughing. I didn't even do it on purpose, it just went naturally.

"But," Edward said. "Just because he's downstairs doesn't mean we shouldn't.." Everyone looked at him with a question mark. "Bella, would you like to dance?" WHAT?! Yes! Luckily, I remembered not to open my mouth, so I didn't look like a total geek. I couldn't help my pulse quickening, though.

"Yeah, sure." I said, feeling myself blush. I tried to act cool, but I had to admit: Acting cool around this major hottie was really tough. How do girls normally do that? You can't act cool around a guy _all the time_ right? That was impossible! Well, for me.

So after I said that I would dance with him, I realized what I had said. I couldn't dance! I was terrible at dancing! I couldn't even believe I said that I would dance with him. But, of course, how could I have said no against Edward? I walked with him downstairs, not wanting to tell him that I couldn't dance right away. I wanted to wait until we we're finally downstairs, so that if he didn't want to do anything else with me, he at least had to walk back up with me again.

"Edward? I think I should have told you…" I shouted in Edward's ear (the music was very loud here.) "I can't dance!" Edward looked at me like I was crazy.

"Then why did you say that you would?"

"I don't know, I hate disappointing people…" Yeah, that was a lie. But hey? What else was I going to say? Sorry Edward, I said that I would dance with you because I wasn't thinking and I wanted to feel your body against mine. And then I waited long enough to say the truth so you at least would have to walk me back. Get it?

So I couldn't exactly tell him _that_.

"You hate disappointing people? That's why you said you would dance with me, even though you couldn't dance?" Edward seemed a little upset. I mean, come on! If it was this bad, I'll just walk myself back up and he can go to Emmett and Rose and Tanya!

Oh my god, Tanya! She was here, too. I totally forgot.

What if she saw me and Edward standing here? I looked around the room, not seeing a whole lot, I can tell you that. But I didn't see Tanya or Rose or Emmett or Jessica or Kate. I just saw two drunk guys trying to talk to two girls whose skirts were way shorter than mine and who definitely had too much make up on. I can't believe guys still like those kind of girls. I hope Edward didn't like any of them. But then again, maybe he did?

But why would he have asked me to dance with him? I didn't look like those girls, right? And then I looked down and saw the skirt Tanya told me to wear. Maybe I did look like one of these girls and he just asked me to dance with him because he hoped he would be getting some.

Oh no, Edward couldn't be like that.

"Yes, that's pretty much why I said yes. Why do you ask?"

Edward's face fell down a little. Of course, I had no idea why his face would do that. "Nothing." He said, but then he magically appeared a smile on his face and grabbed my hand. "But I could always make you dance." He smiled a mysterious smile at me and I think my face pretty much was in shock.

"Oh no, no, no, no! Edward! I'm really a terrible dancer, you don't want to be seen with me!" I tried shouting, but Edward had turned around, dragging me on the dance floor. Oh no. We were now in the middle of the floor, loads of people were surrounding us. Edward turned around to face me again.

"Oh really? Because I think otherwise." And then he lifted my hand and spun me around.

* * *

**Ooh, I hope I can update soon**.. **I'm really looking forward to bring Tanya in...=]  
Anyway, that was the new chapter, hoped you guys liked it.  
Tell me what you think!**

**Xx me**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been pretty lasy, I guess.  
Thanks for all your reviews, and comments and everything. You're all so nice. :]  
Anyway, I don't want to keep you waiting.  
I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

This was a disaster. Okay, I haven't actually started dancing yet, but I could feel it. I was hoping he'd bring me back, I didn't expect him to still drag me on the dance floor to dance with him. Apparently Edward didn't care that I was a terrible dancer. Or he just didn't believe me. That could be true too.

Finally Edward turned around to face me, still holding my hand. Even though I was about to experience the most embarrassing moment of my life, I could still feel how wonderful his skin felt on mine. He smiled at me, but I couldn't smile back. To be honest, I was really nervous. Everyone would probably be, if they were in my situation. I couldn't dance, I'd probably trip ten times, and the hottest guy alive had just asked me to dance with him. Oh, I should've said no right away. There was no backing out now.

Edward lifted my hand, gesturing I should spin. I let him turn me around. I couldn't hear which song was playing. Maybe an upbeat song, maybe not. I couldn't tell. After he spun me around, he sort of moved his body closer to mine. Oh, there probably was a slow song, since people around us all started to slow dance with each other. I was a bit uncomfortable as he put his arms around my waist. I looked at everyone around us. All the girls had their arms around the guy's neck. I did the same, which was probably a wise decision since Edward smiled at me, this time I tried to smile back.

"So, Bella, tell me something about yourself." Edward said in his velvet voice. I should tell him about ME?! What on earth was worth telling about me? Nothing. I was the most uninteresting girl alive. I tried to think about something, but there simply wasn't anything to tell.

"What do you want to know?" I asked him, because if he asked anything in particular, I could simply answer him. That was a lot easier, well, depending on the question.

"Do you have a boyfriend, for instance?" I raised my eyebrows. If I had a boyfriend I wouldn't be here dancing with him. Okay, maybe I would, but that's just because it's Edward. I couldn't say no to him, he was so interesting, and handsome, and everything.

"No." I told him. "I don't have a boyfriend…" A tiny smile appeared on his face. Was he making fun of me? Was it so sad for me that I couldn't find a boyfriend. Or even someone who was remotely interested in me? Probably. "How about you?" I asked him.

"Me? No, I don't have a boyfriend either." I laughed a little, but then wondered if he was joking. I guess he could see my confused look since he added; "And I don't have a girlfriend either, for that matter." I still looked a bit confused. "But answering your unasked question, yes, I do normally have girlfriends and I intent on staying that way." He said with a wink.

Now I could laugh, how stupid I was! "Oh, sorry. Well, it's your own fault! You shouldn't have made that remark about a boyfriend."

Now he was laughing too. "True, true. I'm sorry." We both smiled at each other, not sure what to do next. Luckily Edward was the first to speak again. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm dancing with you?" I said, unsure what he meant with his question.

"No." He said, a smile forming on his lips. "I mean, where do you work? Do you go to college? What?"

Now understanding him, I answered. "Well, I'm a student at the University of Alaska, I study Biology, and I work as a waitress together with my best friend, Tanya." Oh, BAD! I shouldn't have mentioned Tanya! Now, if she was coming, he knew she was my best friend. Oh, and he would definitely pick her over me! I was the most idiotic person who ever alive!

"Oh, that's interesting, what restaurant?"

"Convivium." I said, I explained as I saw his questioning look. "It means festive meal in Latin."

"Isn't that restaurant about the most popular restaurant in Alaska? And isn't it in the top ten of restaurants in the United Stated?" Oh, so he's heard of it.

"Yes." I answered, because it was.

"Wow." Edward said. "I'm impressed."

I laughed. "Well, you shouldn't be. It's really no big deal." I really needed a change of subject because I hated talking about myself. "And what about you? What do you do?"

Edward looked a little embarrassed, though I wouldn't know why. "Well, I used to play piano for a living, but now I'm in my final year of studying medicine."

My eyes popped open a little. Wow, I really was a little plain comparing to Edward. "And you're impressed because I work in a number one restaurant?!" I said, Edward laughed a little. "Seriously? You don't have to try to make me feel better, Edward."

"No, really. It must be very stressful to work in a restaurant. Especially one where the pressure to be perfect is as high as the one you're working."

"Well, yeah, probably about ten times less stressful about the pressure of having to save a life instead of killing someone." Edward laughed again, but he didn't say anything, as I was probably true. "And you've been playing piano?"

"Yes, a few years ago."

"But you couldn't pay the bills, huh? I've heard that it's really hard making money out of the music business." Wow, he was really impressive.

"Well, that's true." I felt as if there was something he was keeping from me, he had this mysterious smile on his face. He still looked incredibly adorable. I think he could pull anything off. If he told me he had been in prison for ten years, I'd probably still want to dance with him. He's just the kind of guy you get obsessed with. Not that I was, though.

"What is it that you're not telling me?"

"Nothing important." Okay, even though he was a major hottie, it was still annoying. But hey, we had just met, it wasn't really strange if he didn't want to tell me things. I, for instance, didn't want to tell him anything about my best friend. Wouldn't he find that suspicious too?

He spun me around again. I had to admit, I even liked dancing with him. Something I thought I'd never experience in my life. It had happened now. I'm talking about liking to dance, of course.

"Fine." I said. "whatever."

But that was when the biggest disaster in date-history happened.

I saw Tanya, waving at me, from the corner of my eye. _Oh no._ She had a bright smile on her face, together with a confused look in her eyes. Yeah, normally people wonder if I'm talking to a handsome guy. Well really, I never do that, so I never gave them a reason to wonder about. But I'm totally making people ask questions today.

"Oh." I said, seeing how she walked towards me and Edward. "Here's Tanya coming, my friend I told you about." Edward didn't even look around. He didn't even need to. Tanya would be right here, standing next to me, in about five seconds. And then everything was over. He'd probably start ignoring me right away. It didn't even matter then if Tanya liked Edward or not. It didn't even matter that we discussed that we would never, under any circumstances, steal guys from one another. Of course, that rule merely applied to Tanya, since I could never steal a guy away from Tanya.

"Bella!" I heard a girly voice shriek from the crowd behind me. I turned around to face Tanya, standing there alone. Rose or Kate or whoever did not come with her. They probably didn't see Edward. Or if they did, they probably thought they wouldn't stand a chance. Well, except for Rose, she wouldn't think that. Seeing as how she's his sister and all that.

"Hey Tanya." I said (Well, shouted. The music was playing really loud). Tanya looked expectantly at Edward standing behind me. She wanted, I could tell, to be introduced to this male god I was dancing with thirty seconds earlier. I couldn't exactly see Edward's face, so I didn't know if he wanted the same. I'm guessing that he did, though. So I turned around to face him and made the introductions.

"Edward, this is Tanya. Tanya; Edward."

Tanya gave him her flirt-smile. Oh yeah, there would be some guy-stealing going around soon. Not that it would really be stealing, since he wasn't mine or anything.

Anyway, Tanya shook hands with Edward, playing all of her flirty tricks on him. "Hi." That was it, two words. And normally, that would be enough to make a guy crazy. And even though I would never expect a guy to turn away from her and walk away with me, it was all I could hope for. Because really, Edward was so far the most interesting, handsome, (probably) smartest man that I EVER met.

But how could he turn down Tanya?

"Hey." Edward said back. There wasn't a smile as bright as Tanya's on his face, but there was still a smile. It was probably a trick from him too. Something like 'never show too much interest in a girl you're planning on asking out'. I didn't think it would take long for them to, well, you know.

Okay, not THAT!

But usually, when Tanya gave a guy a flirt-smile _this_ big, it always ended up with the two of them kissing in a dark corner somewhere. And I did not want to stick around for that.

"Hey you guys, I think I'm gonna go back up again. Sit with Angela, and maybe Alice, if she's still there."

Edward pulled his face from Tanya's and looked at me as if he was mentally comparing my face to Tanya's. I hope he wasn't. I wouldn't turn out to be the best choice for him. "Oh" Was his reply. "Okay. Well, maybe I'll see you later."

"Yeah, maybe. It was nice meeting you anyway." I told him that, because I didn't think I'd be seeing him again any time soon. Unless it was in our apartment where he came with Tanya. Actually, that'd be a huge possibility. Oh god, I hope not. Maybe I should ask Tanya if she would always go to his place. But then she'd have to ask why and I would have to tell her the truth. About me never liking someone, except for Edward. Then Tanya would feel extremely guilty, because that's who she is, and she shouldn't feel guilty for being the way she is..

"See you, Tanya. Want to ride together or separate?" I asked her to be sure.

"Hmm, I don't know. I guess we're going separate, as usual, right?" Let me tell you, it was not usual for me and Tanya to take separate cars. It was only usual when she was planning on staying late with a guy. Great. Always nice to know her intentions.

"Yeah, sure. Then I'll probably see you tomorrow. I think I'm going home early tonight. I'm pretty tired. Bye!"

"See you, Bella!"

I walked away, searching to see if Angela was still sitting upstairs. I'd probably just say goodbye to everyone and then go home. I didn't want to stay here any longer..

I looked back once more, to see Tanya and Edward talking to each other, and laughing. Oh yeah, I'd be crying myself to sleep tonight.

* * *

**Aww, don't you think it's sad?  
So, for anyone who also reads my other story (A wish upon a star. If you haven't read it, go check it out!) you all know about my going on a holiday and not being able to update for about, two to three weeks. And if I'm lasy, I won't even update in four, but I'll REALLY try to update ASAP.  
For anyone who _doesn't_ read AWUAS, now you know.  
Anyway, tell me what you think about the chapter, and the story so far.  
I know, I know. Most people don't like Tanya. But really, she's very nice. Well, in this story at least. But who could ever resist Edward? I sure couldn't..**

**xxx me**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy new year everyone!**

**I hope you all had fantastic holidays -I certainly did- and that you weren't angry with me for waiting so long to update. I'm sorry. Here I am, though, giving you a brand new one.. =] Now aren't you all happy you had to wait for it..? No? Oops.  
Anyways, have fun reading it! **  


* * *

Which one was the right key? I couldn't see it. It didn't help that I drunk a lot, either.

After I came back upstairs from the conversation with Tanya and Edward, I just felt terrible. Alice had already left, which I thought was too bad. I really liked Alice, she was nice, funny and easy to talk with. I hoped I could see her again.

Only Jessica and Kate sat there, they told me Angela had already left too. At first I was planning on leaving myself, since there wasn't really anyone I could talk with anymore. But then Jessica suggested I should drink one drink with them. Since I felt really terrible, I told her I would. I could use the alcohol.

To make a long story short; I drank too much.

And now, apparently, I couldn't find the right key to my apartment, so I couldn't get in.

"Bella?" Tanya said behind me. I wasn't really drunk, so I could think a little. For instance, I could remember that Tanya wanted to steal Edward away from me. And second, I could think about the fact that Edward could be with Tanya right now. I sure hoped not. I didn't want to turn around, afraid of what I would see. I had to, anyway, so I took a deep breath and faced Tanya.

She was along.

I let out a sigh of relief. Tanya had probably already noticed I wasn't quite the normal Bella, since she would never, ever, be outside the apartment trying to find the right key for the door.

"Hey Tanya. You're alone?" I asked her to be sure. For all I knew he could've been downstairs, parking the car or paying the cab. Whatever.

Tanya nodded though, and I smiled. "Yeah, Edward isn't the one-night-stand kind of person." I could definitely understand that. I had only talked to him for a while, but he seemed like a decent guy.

Oh what was I saying, he seemed like the _perfect_ guy. "I kind of figured that."

Tanya started smiling, though. And it wasn't the friendly best-friend smile. It was the 'I did something wrong'- smile. "I totally kissed him, though." She said.

Ow. That hurt.

"Wh-what?" I asked. She must be kidding. He couldn't have kissed her. He couldn't! And she couldn't do that to me! She must have seen the way I looked at him. She must have felt the love radiating from me.

I know that I sounded like this very cheesy book or movie right now, but still. I felt as if someone hit me with a baseball bat, right in the stomach.

"I kissed him!" She shrieked. "He was totally distant in the beginning, even when I asked him if he wanted to dance with me. He kept looking upstairs, I don't know why. But after a while, though, he softened up. I think it was about after you left, I think I saw you walking away. Anyway, something happened to him. I guess he thought no one would watch him anymore, since everyone left." She took a deep breath. "So after about ten minutes of dancing, I totally put my flirt-smile on." She grinned. "He took the hint.."

My mouth fell open as I listened to her story. How could Tanya ever think that I'd want to hear this story?! Because I did not want to listen to her, telling about how great Edward is. I know he's fantastic, and great, and funny, and perfect. I don't need her telling me that.

I thought about telling her that, but that would be too cruel. She's my friend, of course she'd want to tell me about how things went with a boy. If it were me kissing Edward, I'd want to tell her all about it, too. "That's great, Tanya."

She nodded enthusiastically. "It totally is." I tried smiling, but I guess I drank too much to be able to fake a smile. "And you know what the best part is?" She waited for me to say something, but I didn't. So she went on. "He promised to stop by at the restaurant! He said that maybe he would eat there, and that maybe he'd take Alice." She stopped there, waiting for me to comment. I didn't. "His sister." I still didn't say anything. Tanya sighed at my lack of enthusiasm. But this was all she was going to get. I was tired, I had too much to drink, and I did not like the fact that she was planning on dating Edward.

I wanted to be really childish and tell her that _I saw him first!_ But I guess you couldn't say that to your best friend. I wouldn't know, I was never in this situation. I used to being fine with Tanya getting all the boys.

Well okay, not _all_ the boys. Sure, I've dated a few. Not a lot, though. I mostly focused on my job now.

"Tanya?" I was getting pretty cold.

"Yes..?" She asked, excited. She thought I was finally going to react to her story. Not a chance, you Edward-stealer!

"Can you open the door please? I think I'm unable to open it."

Tanya rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine." She growled. I tried to hide my laughter. I never saw her angry at me, I think this was a first. Hey, if she wanted me to stay nice after she ran away with Edward, she must be mentally ill.

Tanya grabbed her key and opened the door. She went in first. Ha! Finally! For the first time in my life I got Tanya angry. It felt kinda good. Maybe I should do this more often!

Or maybe it was just because I had a _lot_ to drink.

"I'm going to bed." Tanya grunted. I had to laugh, but I managed to hide it until she slammed the door of her room. Oh yes, this felt fantastic.

I walked to my room with a smile. I got ready for bed with a smile. But when I lay in bed, reality hit me; Edward didn't want me. Edward wanted Tanya. I could never be with him.

And _that's_ when I started crying.

-

I woke up after a very sleep. I woke up three times in the middle of the night. And every time I could feel tears in my eyes. It was stupid, _I_ was stupid. I didn't know Edward. I've only talked to him for about five minutes. I've only seen him for about ten. I shouldn't be crying over a guy I hardly knew.

"Bella! Wake-up sleepyhead!" I heard Tanya's voice; she wasn't angry with me anymore. It had been late yesterday, and I had too much to drink. I felt pretty bad about how I acted. It wasn't Tanya's fault.

Well, not entirely.

I tried to get up. But my head hurt pretty bad. "Ow." I mumbled to myself.

"Bella, what are you doing?! We have to go, now!" Tanya rushed into my room, surprised to find me still lying in bed. "Bella?" She asked, her voice more gentle now, more kind. "Are you okay?"

My hand instinctively moved to my head, pressing it against my forehead. "Wow, I feel miserable." I wiped the hair out of my face. "What time is it?"

"Late. It's really late. Come on, Tom's gonna kill us if we weren't there on time. Now get dressed, get ready!"

I was a bit confused. "I thought we didn't have to work?" If I had to work today, I wouldn't have gone to that club. I wouldn't have drunk that many alcohol.

"Tom called last night." She said, unsure. "Didn't I tell you."

"No." My voice was angry now.

"Oops. Sorry." She said in an apologetic voice. "Really, I am. But now we have to hurry!"

I jumped out of bed, quickly throwing on my work outfit. Yes, we had a very special outfit. I hated the skirt, the apron, the stupid v-neck shirt. Tom wanted us to look old fashioned, but still classy, and girly. So I put on the stupid outfit and the stupid high heel shoes. I did it because I actually loved doing the work.

We rushed to our work, where we only got a small lecture from Tom about the importance of showing up on time. So it was okay. I did the daily routine, being friendly to customers and making small talk with them. I enjoyed it a lot.

Until lunch time.

"Edward!" Tanya shrieked. "You came." She quickly walked to him and gave him a hug with one arm, since the other held a coffee pot.

"I did." Edward grinned, though if you'd ask me, he didn't look like he was at comfort. But maybe that wasn't really true. Maybe I just wished it were true, but I was seeing things that weren't there.

"Hey Bella!" I gasped. She really scared me.

"Alice. Wow, hey." This time, I didn't have to fake the smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." She said in a singing voice. "I'm just here to check out the restaurant. And to see you again. And of course, the girl Edward hooked up with last night. I hadn't seen her last night. I'm really sorry to disapprove my brother's taste, but the girl looks awful. Too perfect, if you ask me." Alice sighed. "You know her, right? Since you two work together?"

I nodded. Normally I'd hate girls being bitchy about Tanya. This time, I didn't care. Alice wasn't jealous like those other girls. She was just looking out for her brother. "Yeah." I said to her. "That's Tanya." Alice looked at me, waiting for more information. "My best friend."

* * *

**Ooohooh, what's going to happen now? You'll find out soon!  
Tell me what you think! I'm only just starting this story, so I'd like to hear about your reactions...  
Oh, and for people who have been criticising my grammar; I'm sorry. But I'm not from America, or England or whatever, and English isn't my first language. Also, my spelling checker on the computer doesn't really work with English, and sometimes makes weird words. Sorry.  
I hope it won't bother you too much, though.**

**xxx me**


	5. Chapter 5

**Whoah, that took me a while. Sorry.  
But, to make it up to you, I've written a killer chapter, or at least, I wish I would've. It's up to you. It's more of a filler, I think. But it's fun to read, anyway. And as you will read, I've put in a few character, which just belong to Twilight. If you're gonna write a Twilight story, these characters just HAVE to be in it. ;) Jk. They have to be in it in my stories, anyway.  
Enjoy! ;] **

* * *

I could understand why her face was turning red. If I would've said something like that, I'd probably look like someone threw a bottle of ketchup all over me.

But I didn't _mind_ that she said that. That's what shocked me the most. And after I explained that to Alice, it pretty much shocked her too. I think a lot of people would be a little pissed if someone just bashed their friends in front of you. I normally would be too. But hey, Tanya's the one who decided she should date the guy I could possibly fall in love with. So why defend the little thief?

"I have to say." Alice said after a while. We'd been looking at Edward and Tanya, who were just talking. It was fun to look at though, because Tanya was acting all flirty and making all these flirty moves. Edward didn't respond to them at all. "I'm a bit surprised you and…" She paused a little. "_Tanya _are friends. You two are so completely different!"

I rolled my eyes. "Like I never heard that one before." It always hurt a little when someone said that. I mean, I was happy being who I am. I truly was. But Tanya was so gorgeous, and outgoing, and fun! It was hard not to want to look like her. Especially since everybody loved her. Edward included.

I guess Alice could hear all that by the tone of my voice, since she went: "In a good way for you, Bella. Tanya is so…flirty. I mean, look at her!" I did. I didn't see anything wrong, though. "She's completely focussed on my brother! She hasn't even come over here to talk to you. Plus, she doesn't know a very important rule; Always make sure the family likes you." Alice chuckled, referring to the fact that Tanya hasn't said anything to her yet.

I looked at the clock, which was telling me something I already knew. "Look, Alice. I really have to get back to work, but it was so much fun talking to you again. Maybe we could get together sometime? Tonight, maybe? Dinner?" It felt as if Alice and I had been friends for years, instead of meeting her yesterday. It was easy to be around her, and we got along well.

"Oh, sounds great." Alice replied, and looked at the clock too. "What time do you get off?"

I was thinking that through. I was done at four thirty, but I guessed Tom would make me stay till at least five. "I'm sure I'll be out of here by five thirty. Maybe we could go to dinner at seven? Please not here, though.."

Alice laughed. "Okay. I'll take care of it." She winked at me. "Listen, I'll meet you at seven. Do you know that place on the, eh, what's it called again?" I laughed and waited until Alice finally remembered the name. Of course I knew it. We decided we'd meet each other there at seven and said our goodbyes.

Alice walked to Edward, who was still talking to Tanya. I figured it would be a little rude if I wouldn't say goodbye to him. After all, Alice said the number one rule was to impress the family. I grinned at that, thinking Tanya would never do something like that before she got a ring on her finger. "Goodbye Edward. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to talk to you, but it was nice seeing you, anyway."

It surprised me that it was so easy to say these words. Like they didn't mean anything to me at all. But they did. It was the first time he looked me in the eye today. I could feel my heart beating faster as he flashed me his breathtaking smile. "It was nice seeing you too Bella. I hope I get another chance to talk to you this summer."

"I hope so, too." I responded. Truly wishing we would be. It wasn't smart to talk to him if Tanya would start to date Edward. I would only start liking him even more.

I couldn't say anything else, though. Tanya started to say goodbye to Edward in a way that was way too much. I pretended I had so much work to do that I couldn't stay here and wait for Tanya. I waved at Alice and walked back to the counter.

"Hey Jake." I said as I wanted to get myself a drink. Jacob was the bartender here, and a very good friend of mine. Tanya didn't like him very much, and Jacob didn't like Tanya very much. But hey, I was allowed to get some friends of my own, right?

"Hey Bells." Jacob had been dating Nessie for three years now, so I was never afraid he would some day fall in love with me or something. And I liked that feeling. That way, I could have fun with him.

Once, my boyfriend had really hurt me. Jacob helped me get over him. _And_ he helped me make the guy feel a little worse. Ha! That had felt so good. I don't think he was ever able to get the smell out of his house.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I let out a tiny laugh. Not because I was happy or anything. It was just funny how well he knew me. Sometimes I thought he knew me better than Tanya.

"Oh.. It's just…" I sighed. "Tanya."

Jacob gave me a look full of compassion. "Are you having a fight?" He asked. "It didn't look like you were.." Jacob thought about what could be wrong. "Oh, is this about that guy I saw Tanya talking to?"

I laughed. He knew me too well. "Yeah." I looked to see if Tanya could hear me, but she was in the back, enjoying her lunch break I think. "I met him last night. He asked me to dance with him, I don't know why, but I really liked him. He was so nice, and funny, and smart, and of course incredibly handsome. And along came Tanya. She saw me, and wanted to be introduced. I think you can guess the rest.."

Jacob shook his head, obviously disapproving of Tanya. I didn't mind. I wished I could do the same. "That girl.." He said. "Has to be put in a cage. To steal him away from you like that."

I laughed, he always knew what to say.

"Bella." He continued. "It's gonna be okay. If he is really as smart as you say he is, he will realize he's with the wrong girl. He will see that the only girl he wants to be with is you."

I smiled. "Thanks Jake."

"And if not.." He said, very loud. "We can always do what we did to your last boyfriend." I laughed even harder as he winked at me.

I gave Jacob a big hug. "Thanks for everything Jake. Now, I really have to get to work." Jake nodded and said he had to work, too. So I spend the rest of my afternoon waiting on people. Sometimes Tanya and I exchanged a few words, but I was so busy, she didn't even notice I didn't want to talk to her. She just assumed I had more tables to do. Which I had, but I could've made them wait a little longer.

It turned out I was right, Tom asked me to stay just a little longer. I said that I would, after all, I had only agreed to meeting Alice at seven. Tanya got away with some stupid excuse about a store or whatever. Oh well, I would get more money at the end of the month.

I got home and dressed for tonight. Last night Alice brought her incredibly good-looking brothers. You never knew who she would bring this time..

I looked at the clock, 6:45. The restaurant was close to where I lived so I could walk there in ten minutes. I put on my coat and headed towards the restaurant.

I wondered what Tanya would be doing now. Did she and Edward have a date? Would they go out tonight? And what about tomorrow? Would she see him, then?

My head was filled with these questions. I decided to ignore them, and ask Tanya about it tonight. It would be hard to hear, but I had to.

"Bella!" Alice said when I finally reached the restaurant. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, which I would've found awkward with anyone besides Alice.

"Hey Alice." I smiled.

"Hungry?" She winked as we walked inside, and I had to laugh. I never had to pretend with her. It was funny, since I had only met her last night. Tanya and I had been friends for ages, and I still had to pretend to smile sometimes. She never noticed.

"Starving." I answered.

The host led us to our table and gave us our menus. There weren't as many people here as there always were at the restaurant Tanya and I work at. It was a nice place, though. I hardly went to other restaurants.

Alice asked me about my day, asking a lot of questions about what it's like to be a waitress. I told her it was fun to work at a place with lots of people, and that I liked my co-workers. Alice gave me a strange look, I think she was thinking about Tanya.

I asked Alice what her job was.

"I'm a stylist. I dress people." Alice chuckled as she said that.

"So clothes are your passion?" I had noticed how incredibly fashionable Alice always looked. Now I knew why.

"You could say that." Alice laughed. "And what's yours?"

Your brother. I wanted to say that, but I couldn't. Nobody would understand. Plus, her brother was already dating someone else, who happened to be my best friend. I told Alice I didn't know, but that I loved to be a waitress and that I studied Biology at school.

I had a lot of fun that night. I decided that I absolutely _adored_ Alice. She was so cheerful and happy all the time, you couldn't help but feel the same way.

Somehow the conversation was about Edward and Tanya again. I don't know how, it just happened.

"I don't know why he likes her. She's not his usual type." Alice sighed, as if this was some kind of terrible drama. Which, to me, it was. But it shouldn't be to her. Tanya was great! "I don't know what happened that night in the club. You know, sometimes I think he doesn't actually like her."

I nearly choked in my diet coke. "Wh-what? Why?" I asked, then calmed myself. "I mean, why would he date her if he doesn't really like her?" I hoped that wasn't usual for Edward. I couldn't believe it. He must be a fantastic person. Otherwise Alice wouldn't have looked out for him the way she did. And he had been really nice to me, something I didn't expect anyone, especially not someone who looked like him, to do.

"I don't know." Alice sighed. "He has become some big mystery to me. He was acting strange all day. And when we came to visit you guys, I don't know, he wasn't himself."

I suggested something. The thought that seemed most likely to me, but which I truly hoped wasn't true. "Maybe, Alice." I said. "Maybe he really likes Tanya. Maybe that's why he's been acting weird. Maybe it's because he thinks he found someone who he could see himself with. Who he could… Love." I swallowed before pronouncing the last word. I didn't want to think about it. Tanya liked him, too. I could see that. She was already falling head over heels for the guy. It didn't surprise me. He was absolutely, without a doubt, the best looking man I've ever laid my eyes on. I'm sure this applied to Tanya, too.

"Maybe…" Alice whispered.

* * *

**Gasp! What will happen now? Will Edward and Tanya become a.. _couple?_ Will Alice let them? Will Bella find someone else? Idk. Let's see what happens in the next chapter, first.  
Tell me what you think!**

**xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Thank you all for your reviews, they're so sweet. Please, keep them coming!  
I'm sorry it took me a while to update.. I'm so busy with school and everything... It's hard to make time for writing new chapters. But I still love to do it. Every night off, I quickly get myself behind the computer and start to put all my ideas down in words.  
Hope you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

I was staring at the ceiling, replaying the day that had passed. Edward and Alice, coming to the restaurant me and Tanya work. Tanya and Edward, shamelessly flirting with one another. Alice disapproving of Tanya completely, while she liked me. Me having dinner with Alice.

It had been a tiring day. Alice had some pretty big shockers for me during dinner. About her brother, acting totally weird since last night. I couldn't help but think that this was all about Tanya. In the mean time, I also couldn't help but think that Tanya wasn't home yet.

I knew where she was. Well, I knew who she was with. That still didn't mean, though, that she shouldn't have been home by now. It was about 3 am now. Tanya should definitely already have been home.

I couldn't fall asleep, and sighed. I was wide awake, thinking about all the things Tanya could be doing right now. I didn't even want to think about it, it just happened.

She could be at his place now. Doing whatever. Doing things that I don't really want to know about, but which I would probably hear in the morning.

But, I realized, Edward didn't have his own place here. He didn't live here. So he probably wouldn't bring a girl back to where he was staying, since all of his brothers and sisters would be there. Possibly his parents, too.

So he couldn't possibly bring her back to his place. But why would she be out this late? She never was out at this time. Okay, sometimes, though. Not a lot.

Ugh, I couldn't think about it anymore! I was still wide awake in my bed, not being able to fall asleep. I groaned and threw the blankets away from my body. It was getting way to hot, anyway. I got up and rubbed my eyes as I put on the lights. It was a bit too much, after looking at he dark for an approximate 3 hours and 22 minutes. But hey, who's counting?

As I sat there, I discovered a huge craving for some chocolate cereal. Oh, the thought made my mouth water. I put on my morning robe and walked to the kitchen, which was only three steppes away from my room, since our apartment really wasn't that big.

I searched in the cupboards, trying to find the cereal. Oh, Tanya had probably ate some this morning. She always had a tendency to put the things back in a place where they didn't belong. That meant that I always had to search for my cereal in the middle of the night! Well okay, just this once. After about ten minutes, I found it though. In the cupboard under the sink. Yeah, the one where you keep all your cleaning stuff. Gross.

Anyway, I grabbed some milk out of the fridge (By some miracle, the milk's _always_ in the fridge. Thank god.) and poured it with the cereal. I leaned with my back against the fridge in sighed as I ate my cereal.

It was so strange how you could get a craving for cereal at 3 am. I didn't even try to understand why that would be. I didn't even give it another thought. It was pretty unusual for me, though. Normally, I was rather curious to all those weird, human things.

Not tonight. Tonight there was only one thing on my mind.

I stiffened. I heard the sound of keys, and the sound of quiet laughter. Also, I heard someone say 'Shh' to someone else. I knew pretty well who it was, though.

Tanya and Edward.

"Shit." I whispered to myself. Trying to see if I could run to my room on time. The odds weren't in my favour.

"So… You're sure you don't wanna come in? You know, for some… _dessert_." She whispered the last word. Oh no. She was seducing Edward right where I could hear it. And possibly soon see how they would be walking in. Edward following Tanya with an excited look on his face. I've seen it before, but it was never as terrible as it was now.

It seemed though, as if my luck was changing. "No, thanks. I have to get up early tomorrow but thanks for the offer." He sounded polite, and not at all interested. But that could have been because I was hoping he wouldn't be.

Tanya opened the door further now. If she turned around she could see me. There it was; I could see a bit of bronze hair. The door opened a bit further and… There he stood. I could see Edward now, looking totally hot.

If he wasn't on a date with my roommate, I couldn't have resisted the urge to run to him and kiss him. But he was on a date. With my roommate. Who also happens to be my best friend. Great.

Edward saw me now, too, while Tanya was still standing with her back towards me.

"Bella!" Edward exclaimed. Oh yes, he definitely saw me. There was no chance of running to my room now, I was too late.

Tanya quickly turned around, her face shocked at first. But when she saw me eating cereal in my morning robe her expression softened. Oh great, this was probably her way of telling me I looked terrible.

_NO!_ I told myself. I couldn't think these things. Tanya was never mad at me, how could she be? I was just standing in my apartment. There was nothing wrong with that.

I gave them both a weak smile. "Hi." I said. Then I turned my face to Edward. "Nice seeing you again, Edward."

He chuckled. "Like I said before, I was hoping to talk to you again this summer. I didn't realize it was this soon."

Tanya was just standing there, not really knowing what to do. I could understand that. I mean, five seconds ago she was trying to seduce this guy. Trying to get him in bed with her. Now he was just standing there, chuckling, talking to me like there was nothing wrong with anything happening here.

"Um, yeah, funny how those things turn out." I answered him, while I myself didn't exactly know what to say either. "Were you coming in? Or were you just leaving."

Tanya looked at him expectantly. He had just said he was leaving, but I was pretending I hadn't heard that. After all, if I had, I would know that Tanya wanted him to stay with her tonight.

"Actually, Tanya offered me a cup of coffee downstairs. Does the offer still count?"

Tanya was shocked, I knew exactly why. Seeing as how she couldn't answer him right now, I decided to do it for her.

"Well, if it isn't, I'll offer it to you now. Though I'm sure she'll be fine with it if you stayed for a cup of coffee." I answered with my nicest smile. I didn't exactly want him staying here, flirting with Tanya in front of me. But how could I say no? "Come in." I said, looking at my best friend. Still too shocked to speak.

I didn't exactly blame her, though. But hey, maybe this meant she would get what she wanted in the first place. He was inside now. She could bring it to the next step if she wanted. If she was trying to make a move, I would quickly excuse myself and run to my bedroom and cry. I was sure that I wasn't able to handle that.

Edward laughed a little, and walked inside, taking his coat off. Tanya looked at him and quickly did the same thing.

"Let me make some coffee." I said. "I'm sorry for my appearance, though. I didn't know we were getting company at 3:20 am." Edward laughed.

"Yes, I'm sorry for visiting this late. Or, early. I don't know." He said, apparently thinking it over. "You don't have anything to apologize for, though. You look great."

His comment was making me blush, and I had almost forgotten that we weren't alone. "Well, thanks." I said. "Tanya, would you like some coffee, too?" I asked, only because I wanted her to be a part of the conversation too. Normally, I wouldn't have to do this. Tonight was different. It was a first.

"Um, yes please?" She said it as if it were more a question than an answer. I returned to the living room, or the area where our couch with two chairs stood, with three cups of coffee after a while of complete silence.

"So Bella, what are you doing up this late?" Tanya asked, apparently wanting to start the conversation again. Tanya had always been a bit uncomfortable in silence. It didn't bother me, though. And it looked as if it didn't bother Edward, either. He was looking around, watching the different things in our apartment. Although there wasn't a whole lot, I'll tell you that.

I sighed as I took a sip of my coffee. "Couldn't sleep." I simply replied. "Oh, I made this decaf, by the way, or else I won't be able to sleep at all tonight. We're lucky we don't have to work tomorrow." I added. Yes, real lucky. Unless, of course, our boss had called Tanya again, and she forgot to tell me. Again.

"Oh yes. Otherwise I wouldn't be out this late, you know, Bella." Liar. She definitely would have been out this late.

Tanya didn't exactly like to be a waitress. Sure, she loved the attention from the male customers. But the rest of the work wasn't exactly her thing. She was never really polite to the customers who weren't very attractive men in their early twenties.

I nodded at her, though. "Sure." I said, that was the best I could do. I wasn't good at lying. And the way Edward looked at me right now implied that he understood that too, that I was terrible at lying.

"Thanks for the coffee, Bella." Edward seemed as if he wanted to say something else, but that he couldn't say it right now.

I told him it was no problem and it went silent again. "So Alice told me the other night that you were visiting your step mom and dad?" I asked him, I wanted to start the conversation again.

"Oh yes, I actually hadn't seen him in a while. We arrived here yesterday, and the same night we went to a club." I laughed a little, and so did he. Tanya, however, was quiet. It scared me a little; She was never like this. "It was all Alice' idea. She made us do it. She's always planning trips, dinners, you name it." I laughed again, I had noticed at dinner tonight that she was like that.

"Yes." I smiled. "I've noticed that. I had dinner with her tonight and she told me you're quite the pianist. Am I right?"

He looked a bit embarrassed. "Alice always makes things look better than they seem." He quietly said. Didn't he want to talk about it?

"Oh well, she doesn't think so. Maybe you could stop by at the restaurant another time and play something? I'd really love to hear something."

Okay, I know what this looks like, but I wasn't flirting with him. He was dating Tanya for crying out loud, and I could never beat her if it was about a guy.

Plus, Tanya hadn't said a lot since Edward came in. If she wanted to make a move on him, she better do it quickly.

He said that he would, but that he didn't really want to play anything.

"Well, I'd like to hear you play, anyways. Maybe some other time then."

It was weird how it was so easy to talk to him. It was just like with his sister. I had just met them, but it felt as if I knew them for years.

After a while of making small talk, he decided he should go. Tanya had said a few words, but she never tried to make him stay. This was so unlike her.

We both walked him to the door, telling him he should call and that we should see each other soon. Well okay, I said that to him. When I was about to turn around she quickly walked to him and kissed him. Right in front of me! Ow. That hurt. Edward looked every bit as surprised as I was. "Bye Edward." Tanya said in a seductive voice. Where was all that coming from? Just a minute ago she was sitting on the couch, not being able to say a word!

Tanya closed the door and turned around. And boy, she did _not_ look happy.

* * *

**Okay. Tanya and Edward are sort of dating. I hate to break it to you guys. But didn't you all just love it how he wanted to come in when he saw Bella?  
Please tell me what you think! I hope I can bring you a new update soon!**

**I love you all! xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for your reviews, the fact that you're reading the story, and your patience. Seriously, I wished I could've updated a long time ago and when I saw the last time I updated, I was a bit shocked, I admit.  
So I figured, the only way to thank you all, was this update. =]  
Isn't that smart of me?  
Anyways, go read this chapter! I hope you like it.**

* * *

"No sir, we do not offer peanut butter crackers with chocolate sprinkles." I sighed. This man had been bothering me all week. He always came here, asking for something completely ridiculous. At first, I wondered if he was joking. Now I know that he was totally serious, though. "Maybe you should try the restaurant down the block, sir. Perhaps they can offer you the meals you've been asking for this week." I tried to be polite, but now I was way too tired and I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to hold up.

I thought about the night Edward had been in our apartment, talking to me as if he hadn't just been on a date with my best friend. Of course, there wasn't anything romantic between me and Edward, and I was absolutely sure we couldn't be able to talk like that again. Tanya's look had assured me of that fact.

So now today, I was at the restaurant, working as always. Tanya had faked an illness, so she didn't have to go. I didn't really know why she did that all the time. Also, I wondered why she hasn't already been fired. Probably because she's so gorgeous, and she attracts a lot of customers. I had only been here for a while, but I didn't like it. Tanya wasn't here and Jacob had the day off. I didn't really have anyone to talk to. Sometimes I talked with Seth, who was the other bartender. He was very nice, but I couldn't really talk to him the way I could talk to Jacob or Tanya. I couldn't laugh with him the way I could with my real friends.

I missed Tanya. Of course she'd been nice to me, making small talk and pretending as if nothing was wrong. We both knew she was only pretending, though. I didn't know where all the hostility came from. I mean, I really hadn't done anything wrong. She was the one who was wrong here! I mean, she totally stole Edward away from me, well, not really.

But, as I was talking to Alice the other day, I found out about something that made me rather happy. I figured, knowing Tanya, that they had already slept together. Boy, that was a relief when Alice told me they didn't. I had absolutely no clue as to how she found out, but I'm glad that she did, because the wondering about them made me feel miserable.

The man I was serving turned out to not like my comment. I mean, I wasn't _that_ rude, and he couldn't actually be serious thinking we'd have that kind of meals. He thought differently, I suppose, since he started talking to me and raising his voice, as if he wanted everyone to hear. All I could do was just to stand there, listen to him, and apologize. But hey, he caught me on a bad day. I didn't feel like apologizing at all. So I basically told him to leave. But trust me, I said it a little differently and maybe a teensy bit more rude. Okay, a lot more rude.

I let out a deep sigh and walked towards the bar, where Seth was standing. I slipped behind it and poured myself a drink. "Hey Seth." I said, enjoying my five minutes of peace and quiet. Seth nodded at me while he was serving a customer. Not just any costumer, a drop-dead-gorgeous lady, who was definitely flirting with Seth. It felt strange to see Seth flirt back, I saw him as a boy, still, because he looked really young and vulnerable. I know he wasn't like that anymore, he was a man now. I grinned to myself as I was thinking these words. I looked like his mother, proudly saying that her son is an adult now, that he's finally a man.

I put my glass away, enjoying the refreshment it had given me. There weren't a lot of nice people out here today, and not a lot of happy, cheerful conversations either. Those were the highlights of my day; enjoying the conversations with my costumers. I wasn't a bartender in a club or something, I mean, people didn't tell me their deepest secrets or trusted me to give them advise. It was mostly Smalltalk. But I noticed that no one ever made Smalltalk to Tanya, they were probably to intimidated by her looks. Seriously, you shouldn't judge people on their appearances. I wouldn't come off looking very good.

After another hour or so, the hostess came to me, telling me there had arrived a new customer at table six, asking for me to be his waitress. I had to admit, I was honoured to hear that. But seeing who the customer was, that feeling quickly passed. Or actually, it was more like I pressed it away.

What was he doing here? Surely, he must know Tanya doesn't work today. Actually, I had been thinking they were together, going out or something like that. I figured Tanya had called in sick, to spend time with her new found love. Okay, probably not her _love_ since she is obviously incapable of feeling such strong emotions.

I mentally slapped myself in the head for thinking that. Ugh, what kind of a friend did this guy turn me into. I mean, was I going to risk my friendship with Tanya, just for a man who obviously didn't like me, but Tanya. And someone who obviously would choose Tanya, so I would be all by myself, no friends anymore. Alice. I though. Alice would choose my side. She didn't like Tanya at all. But really, I had only met her a couple of days ago.

"Bella." He smiled at me as if I was his reason to live. Okay, not so much, I was just fantasizing about that. I wished dreams really did come true, and he would finally notice me and say that he made a huge mistake to date, and even kiss, Tanya. That he would never forgive himself for what he did, and that he now realized I was his one true love. Then he would kiss me, and beg me to give him another chance, promising me he wouldn't blow it this time. And after a long night of begging and pleading, I would say that I forgave him for his bad choices and I would finally kiss him back.

Yeah, so not going to happen.

I looked him in the eye and gave him my polite, working smile. I showed him that I was working now, and that this wasn't personal. "Hello Edward." I said, because really, I couldn't call him sir. Come on, how awful would that sound? I handed him a menu. "Are you eating alone, or are you expecting someone?" I was still polite, still showing him I could be professional. Plus, I _really_ wanted to know if he would be eating alone and not with someone else. I figured, more alone time for me and Edward. I mean, he _did_ ask for me to be his waitress. That was really nice of him, but I couldn't help but hope that there was more to it.

"Actually." He said, looking a bit nervous, though I couldn't find a reason he should be nervous. He played with his hands, his eyes down. Was he… shy? That was so adorable! Could he really be this perfect? There had to be a flaw somewhere.. "I'm alone." He said, as if he regretted that fact.

I grinned. "Oh, you poor thing.." I said. "Did no one want to join you?" Luckily, he saw that I was joking. Sometimes, I had a hard time when I wasn't serious and people didn't notice that.

He pouted. "No.." He said in a sad voice, as if he was about to cry. I laughed at his face, he looked so adorable and cute. When he saw me laughing he started too.

"Well, if you could wait fifteen minutes, I could join you, then you wouldn't be so alone.." I was joking, but at the same time I wasn't. If he'd say okay, I was absolutely planning on sitting with him. I wasn't going to let that one slip.

His face lit up a little, but I didn't know if he was playing along, or if he really liked it. I'm guessing the first, my imagination is getting really out of hand. "You could?" He asked, intrigued by my question, but he seemed a bit more serious now.

"Sure thing." I said, turning a bit more serious now too. "If you'd just order something, I'll make sure to get it to you and then I could join you for lunch." He quickly obeyed with a grin on his face, deciding what he wanted rather quickly. I wondered if he had been like this with Tanya. Looking at her, then deciding he wanted her. It could be.

I smiled at him as I took back his menu and remembering his order. I didn't need to write it down, it was simple to remember everything he said to me. His voice was so…sexy, or what you want to call it. I could remember everything if he'd just say it to me.

I passed his order through to the kitchen, telling them to put this one first. They looked at me as if I were crazy, but they obeyed. I just didn't want to wait too long to sit with him again. I brought a couple of people they're food, seeing if Edward was looking at me. He didn't, I could see the back of his head every time I looked. It sort of disappointed me a little, although I didn't really expect him to look at me.

I would walk to the kitchen every minute to see if his lunch was ready. I had also asked the kitchen to make my lunch. I really felt like having a grilled cheese sandwich. Since one of the chefs, Tyler, was sort of a friend of mine, occasionally he made me lunch. I thought that was very sweet of him, considering the fact that he didn't get payed for it and he had a lot of other things to do. Tanya always said that he did this because he had a little thing for me. But Tanya didn't know a lot of friendship. I mean, yeah, we were best friends and she was a great friend. But the rest of the girls were way too intimidated, and the guys couldn't say a word when Tanya was around. I think that kind of made her friendless, except for me. Sure, she would hang out with a lot of girls, mostly because they thought she could introduce them to some cute guys she had already dated. Of course they couldn't date someone who Tanya hadn't dated yet, since they all knew the guy would choose her. But, after meeting Rosalie and Alice yesterday, I wasn't too sure anymore. Those two girls were absolutely beautiful, especially Rosalie, and I figured Tanya had a little competition. Of course, we would never see who would win, since Tanya chose their brother. Too bad, it would've been interesting.

"Here you go, Bella. You're grilled cheese sandwich, and the order for table six." Tyler handed me two plates. I smiled at him.

"Thanks Tyler, you're amazing. I definitely owe you one."

Tyler laughed. "You owe me way more than one Bella." He said with a wink. I just grinned at him and turned around, looking at the clock. Yup, it was lunch time. I walked over to the back, where all the waitresses were sitting. Some of them had just returned from their break.

"Hey guys, I'm taking my lunch break now." I told them, they looked at me as if they couldn't care less. Which, you know, they probably meant. "And um, don't bother about table six. I've got it covered." Now they looked at me with a little interest. Also, a lot of curiosity. Of course, I didn't tell them a thing. Not that it was really private or anything. I mean, jeez, he wasn't my boyfriend. He was dating Tanya. Still, I had a hard time to convince myself _not_ to flirt. It was going to be hard. I didn't flirt a lot, but I had to control myself around this guy. They would probably all think I'm a freak.

"Here I am again." I put down his plate and kept standing there. He looked at me with a weird look.

"Well?" He asked, "Aren't you going to sit down?" I looked at him, silently asking with my eyes if he still thought it was okay for me to sit there with him. Apparently, he had nothing against it. "I mean, you promised. Otherwise I'll be all alone."

I laughed a little. "Fine, fine. If you're going to beg for it…" His mouth opened a little, but I winked at him and he smiled.

I seriously liked Tyler right now. He was an amazing chef and it tasted delicious. "So tell me.." I started. "Why are you here all alone?" I took another bite, and looked up at him from underneath my eyelashes. _Oh no!_ I totally forgot the non-flirting thing. Oops. I quickly sat up straight, looking at Edward to answer. Since he didn't reply I continued. "I mean, I'm sure at least someone wanted to come. What about Alice?"

He grinned, probably about some inside joke that I didn't get. "Nah, Alice didn't really want to come. In fact, she was the one who told me to just 'go alone'" He chuckled, again, I missed something.

I didn't want to ask. I really didn't. But the words slipped out before I could control myself. "And what about Tanya?" I asked, regretting the words as soon as they passed my lips. "I mean, she doesn't work today, I thought you would know that." He took another bite, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he did it so it would buy him some more time to think of an answer.

He locked his gaze upon me, his eyes looking very intense. I felt a chill all the way down my spine, all he did was look at me and he already got this reaction out of me. There must be something wrong with me, or him for that matter. "I knew she called in sick.." He replied quietly, as if he was ashamed of it.

"Then why..?" I asked, I had to, the curiosity was killing me. "Why did you come here if you knew she wasn't here?"

He looked down for a second, but when he looked up again, he smiled and acted as if there was nothing wrong. Wow, there was something wrong with him. Those mood-swings, that was weird. I wonder how his family could deal with them all the time. Then again, it might be just me he was having mood swings around. "Well, because somewhere I've heard this was the best restaurant in town, and I hadn't even eaten here."

Good answer. Good liar…

* * *

**Oh yeah, they're having lunch. Um, I kind of had to stop here, because I was getting really tired, but I really feel like updating. So if you guys just review this chapter as much as possible, I'd be updating sooner! I have lots of inspiration for this story so far, so I'd really love it if you'd love it, too. ;]  
Tell me what you think!**

**xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! How are you all? =]  
I decided I couldn't keep you waiting too long. I'm not sure when the last time was when I updated, but it wasn't too long ago, right?  
Anyways, it's a pretty short come, especially compared to my last one. Sorry.**

* * *

I took a bite from my sandwich as I thought about Edward's answer. His answer to my question as to why he was here, was completely normal. It was a perfect excuse. He was right, this was said to be the best restaurant in Alaska and he hadn't eaten here. It was all true.

But something about the way he acted before he answered my question made me think he was lying. He acted like there was something he was trying to hide from me. Like there was something he didn't want me to know, maybe because he was embarrassed, that made him lie. Okay, I admit, I didn't know that for sure, but I had a pretty big feeling he was lying. And okay, I admit, I'm not the expert on lying or anything, since I can't fool anyone. And yeah, it was very likely that I only thought he was lying because I just wanted him to lie, because I just wanted to call him a liar – he was so perfect, I was doing my best to try to find a flaw. A flaw would really help realize me that it would never work out. So far, no luck.

I studied his face while he was eating his lunch, making sure he wouldn't catch me staring I'd take a bite myself too, when he was looking up. We were quiet for a while, but it wasn't an awkward silence. I felt completely peaceful. Sometimes I would catch myself staring at him a little too intense, and made myself look the other way. But I just had to look at him, I had to appreciate the beauty sitting in front of me. Willing to have lunch with me.

"So," I said, wanting to start a conversation again just to hear his beautiful, velvet voice. "How often do you and your brothers and sisters come to Alaska?" It seemed as if it was a normal question, just trying to make small talk. But it was also for me. I wanted to know how often I could see him. If he would come here more often. If I could look at him more than just these summer holidays. I wanted to see him a lot, I really did. But if seeing him meant seeing him making out with Tanya, I wished he would never come back again. I wouldn't be able to live through them making out, doing… _stuff_ I didn't want to know about.

Edward swallowed his most recent bite of food before he answered me. "Well, we're here for the entire summer holidays, of course." He looked at his food as if it was some kind of, I don't really know, first class caviar? Also, I didn't know if he liked caviar, so really, I had no idea how he looked at his food. But he seemed to enjoy it. Tyler really was an amazing chef. "But we don't really come here very often. Maybe once a year, during Christmas, but we don't usually spend our summer here…" I looked into his eyes and was slightly dazzled. His eyes could hypnotize me in a way that was frightening, but fantastic.

After a few seconds I was recovered from his dazzling and was able to speak again. "So I should feel quite special, having lunch with you in Alaska, in summer?" The smile on my face just wouldn't disappear.

He chuckled. "Yes, you could say that." He had a big grin on his face. God, how amazing he was.

"So Edward, you can't really be as perfect as you seem, you _must_ have a flaw." I only asked him this because I couldn't find one myself. "I want to know for Tanya, of course. Her being my best friend an all that…" I regretted saying the words, but I couldn't tell him why I really wanted to know what flaws he had. Also, I wished I hadn't brought up the whole being best friends with Tanya thing, because his face fell a little when I mentioned her.

Edward didn't want to ask my question, though. "Well, and what about you?" He said as a response to my question. How could you call this an answer? "I think the same goes for you. You must have flaws. Or are you really this perfect?"

I laughed, thinking he made a joke, but his face was completely serious. I stopped the second I noticed this. "Come on…You can't really be serious? We're talking about me, here. I have loads and loads of flaws. I'm sure you already saw about 38, and now I'm only talking about lunch!" He didn't say anything else, though. So I decided to drop the subject, a little irritated because he had never answered my question. Stupid, stupid Bella, for falling for the guy who's dating your best friend.

"Oh, I'm very sorry Edward, but I really have to get back to work.." I looked at the clock and resisted the urge to put the clock back for about half an hour, just to have more time with him. I got up and took our plates. "Do you want anything else?" The hope that he might have something else was completely stupid, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to talk to him some more, look at him a little longer. "A coffee maybe?"

He smiled at my suggestion, as if a cup of coffee was exactly what he needed. He nodded. "Yes, that would be great, I'd like some coffee." Then a flash of worry appeared on his face, but only for a second. "Will you be my waitress, or will someone else cover my table now?"

He didn't want me to be his waitress? He didn't want to see me anymore? Had I really been that bad over lunch? That thought made my eyes all watery, but I hoped he couldn't see it. "Well, normally I'd cover your table, but if you want anyone else I can just ask…"

"No, no. That won't be necessary." Damn. He probably recognized my hurt. Oh, he was such a gentleman. But now, I couldn't send someone else to his table. Ugh, I should've just told him someone else would be waiting on him. Not me anymore. I gave him my best professional smile anyways, before I walked away to the kitchen to hand the dishwashers our plates. Tyler was about to say something to me, but I think he realized I wasn't in the mood, since he turned around and walked away.

I passed Edward's order through and moved on to the other tables, trying not to look at the gorgeous man sitting behind me. After ten long minutes, I brought the coffee to Edward. Who smiled at me and thanked me. I only answered his smile with a tiny smile of mine.

"Bella?" He asked me. "Is there something wrong?" Oh great. Now he was going to act all; _seriously, there's nothing wrong with you. It's just, you're a bit obsessive and crazy. Oh, and of course, I'm madly in love with your best friend and she's way more beautiful and funnier and smarter than you are. But yeah, nothing personal._

I didn't want to hear any of that. I already knew all of that. "No, nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" Yes, I was lying. Yes, I was being stupid. Yes, I was very insecure. Who cared, anyway?

"Are you sure?" Edward asked while he raised his eyebrows. "Because you seem a little…" Weird? Crazy? Mentally disturbed? Nah, I'm always like that. "Different."

I tried not to roll my eyes, barely succeeding. "I guess I'm pretty tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.."

He nodded. "Yeah.." Now it was an uncomfortable silence. "Hey listen, are you going to the club tonight?" Um, no. Tanya had mentioned that she wanted to go out tonight, so she pretty much asked anyone we knew. Of course, everyone had agreed, because when Tanya called to ask you to a party, you just had to say yes. But I'm not like that. If she asks me, I hardly ever say yes. She's fine with that, but just because I'm her best friend and all. If I weren't, she'd probably already dumped me. "You know, the one we were last time. I'm sure Tanya's mentioned it."

"Yeah, she mentioned it." I answered, he simply nodded. "I'm not going, though. Usually I'm not really the party girl. Tanya's more like that." Great, now I gave him another reason to like Tanya over me. Like he didn't have enough reasons already. "You have fun, though."

He grinned. "Actually, Emmett, Jasper and Rose agreed to go, but Alice and I didn't really feel like that. Instead we're going to dinner. Do you want to join us?"

Was he joking? He wasn't planning on clubbing with Tanya? Did she already dump him? Is that why he's here? She couldn't have. Tanya likes him almost as much as I do. "You're not going?" I just wanted him to confirm tat I wasn't dreaming. He shook his head. "Um, sure, yeah. I'd love to come." He told me the time and place and everything. I told him I really should getting back to work and so I did, not being able to believe what just happened.

* * *

**Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll try to write again soon.  
You know what, I'll make a deal with you.. The more reviews I get, the sooner I update. If I get more reviews on this chapter than I got on the chapter of my other story, I promise I'll update this before AWUAS. And you know, pretty darn soon.**

**xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Thank you all for your sweet comments! I really appreciate it!! Now, here I am, brand new chapter and all.  
I'd really like to thank my amazing new Beta '**A Crystal Snowflake**' Thanks so much!  
And now; Enjoy!**  


* * *

You could hear me coming, you could hear my high heels on the pavement. My quick pace was an indication that I was late. Really late. Before Tanya left for her 'clubbing night', she made a comment on how I looked- which apparently wasn't good. She did a quick make-over, forcing me to wear dark blue satin dress, a _short_ dress –and when I say short, I mean short- and her new Prada high heels. We had the same shoe size, so she made me borrow her shoes a lot, telling me mine just wouldn't do. If only she knew she was dressing me up for a dinner with Edward, she would freak if she found out. Which really isn't necessary, since Edward and I were only friends, not to mention that Alice was coming too. Not that Tanya could trust Alice, they both didn't like each other very much. I thought it was weird, seeing as to how I could get along well with both of them well.

I looked at my new, extremely girly watch. Tanya made me buy it, because it had little fake diamonds on it and that was '_so me' _according to her. Yes, I was very late. But of course there was no taxi to be seen, so I had to walk. What I really did though was run. Running in high heels. On my way over I had already tripped four times and accidentally dropped my purse twice. The way it was going now, running was even slower than walking.

I finally saw the restaurant, which I really should've seen a half hour ago. I wondered if Alice and Edward would be mad at me, or whether they had tried to call me. I had my phone with me, but I turned it off, because I kept getting drunken voicemails from Jessica. That girl really needed to learn not to drink too much in the beginning of the evening.

There was a man in fancy clothes in front of the restaurant, opening the doors for every customer. I held my breath - this was probably going to be an expensive dinner and I had no idea if I had enough money with me. It was a possibility to only order the cheapest salad and a glass of water, but I was afraid Edward and Alice would see right through me. I didn't mind if they knew I didn't have a lot of money; I was more afraid they would offer to pay for me. Alice had done something like that before, and I certainly didn't like it. Why should she be spending money on me? No one ever spends money on me. I am perfectly able to pay for myself.

Though entering this restaurant made me doubt that.

"Bella!" I heard Alice squeal. Only hearing her made me laugh. "I thought you were never gonna come! What on earth took you so long?" I walked towards her; Edward was sitting opposite of Alice, leaving another chair for me between them. I gave Alice a hug and started apologizing, telling her that Tanya didn't think I looked good enough, so she insisted on me putting on some different clothes.

I heard Edward chuckle, but he didn't say anything more about it, so I just dropped the subject.

"Wait, you give her a hug, and not me?" Edward asked while pouting his lips, making his face look incredibly sad.

I couldn't help but laugh at him. "You want me to hug you?"

His face lit up, but I couldn't be sure if he was joking. I was pretty sure he was, though.

"Yes, I'd like that very much," he answered with a big grin on his face.

"Well, too bad." His face fell again, and I heard Alice's quiet laughter. "I only hug my _best friends_. If you want me to hug you, you're going to have to earn it." Edward now joined in on Alice's laughter, but he didn't say another word about it.

They handed me a menu, telling me that they hadn't ordered anything besides their drinks. I thanked them for waiting and quickly scanned the menu. It was pretty expensive, but I could see a few cheap meals that I could afford. I decided on the one that looked the best and looked at Alice and Edward, both ready to order.

"So," I started, "Care to tell me why we are having this dinner? Didn't you two want to go clubbing tonight, with Tanya and the rest?"

I suspected Edward wasn't really the clubbing type, but Alice seemed like a real party girl. She was definitely very beautiful, and she'd probably get a lot of boys going after her.

They both shook their heads, telling me that they didn't like going clubbing, though their brothers and sisters were always up for it. When I asked why they were at the club the night we met, they simply replied that it had been their first night in town and that they wanted to meet some new people.

"And really," Alice said –she was rambling on about the night we met, "It turned out to be a good thing Rose persuaded us, otherwise we'd never had met you!" She said it as if it were the end of the world. Sure, Alice, hold on to that.

I looked at Edward; he had been a bit quiet, though he said a few words now and then. But when my gaze fell upon him, I realized I hadn't had the time to see what he looked like. What if I hadn't noticed it all night? That would've been a terrible mistake. He wore a blue button-down shirt, and incredibly fantastic jeans, which were a little tight. His hair was a little messy, but it looked gorgeous. "Don't you agree, Edward?"

Edward blinked a few times; his eyes had been looking in my direction for a while. Usually I would let my insecurities take over and start thinking he'd been mentally comparing me to Tanya. This time was different. I was having such a good time, talking and laughing with Alice and Edward. They were both really great people and Edward _was_ the one who invited me to this dinner, therefore he must like me at least a little.

Alice definitely liked me, she kept repeating how much she liked me. When we were alone, and Edward and Tanya weren't around, she told me various times how much she liked me over Tanya.

"Oh, yeah, definitely." Edward answered Alice's question, his beautiful velvet voice causing my heart to beat faster. "It's really great we met you, Bella." He flashed me his gorgeous smile. I think my heart might have stopped. "In fact, I still remember the only dance we shared. You remember that?" Alice laughed and Edward chuckled, but I started blushing like crazy.

I let out a small laugh, though I didn't really mean it. "Of course I remember that. You actually forced me to dance with you." Alice laughed even harder, now unable to stop. "Is that how you get all your girls?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable, his face turning slightly red and he ran his hand through his hair. "Not really…" I started laughing too. Of course I knew he didn't get his girls like that. They would probably throw themselves at his feet. He didn't need to force girls to go out with him. He would have to fight them off, me included.

We talked a little more about all kinds of things, just having fun and enjoying each other's company. The entire meal I avoided the subject I wanted to talk about most. I didn't want to hear about it. But of course, Alice had to bring it up.

"So Edward, care to tell us about the stupid mistake you're dating, Tanya, I believe?"

Edward's eyes widened, and I nearly choked as I took a sip of my drink, but Alice seemed to find the entire thing quite amusing. She probably knew I had a crush on Edward, it seemed a bit obvious, and she seemed like the type of person to notice things.

Edward started stuttering a little as Alice and I laughed. Well, she laughed and I pretended to think it was funny. Tanya was still my best friend, and it felt wrong to make fun of her. It didn't seem right somehow.

"Well, you know," Edward tried to begin, but he didn't really know what to do. How could he, when Alice kept putting him into situations like this. "It's not really dating, you know? We're more like friends."

_What?!_

Was he serious? He couldn't be. Tanya didn't look as if she was serious. She told me they kissed and that he was a fantastic kisser. Like I wanted to know that. Really wanting to hear answers, I pretended to be uninterested and asked him;

"Really? Friends who kiss…? Tanya told me all about it."

Alice put her hand over her mouth and tried to hide her laughter by making it a cough, but she didn't fool anyone. We both knew she was laughing. Actually, if I wasn't madly in love with Edward I probably would've found it funny, too.

"Well... I mean, I don't know..." Edward said embarrassed, I was really beginning to feel sorry for him, two girls attacking him with words about his girlfriend. Well, according to him they were 'just friends.'

"Seriously, Edward, I don't get why you even like her in the first place. Sorry Bella. Sorry Edward. But she's so fake! She doesn't even _try_ to get along with your family, which means that she isn't interested in you that much, or she's just plain mean and rude."

I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer the question. Why did he like her? I could guess. Maybe the fact that she was drop dead gorgeous. As I thought about it, I couldn't really find reasons why he would like her besides her looks. I didn't even know why I was best friends with her. We were nothing alike. Yeah sure, we'd have the occasional good laugh, but nothing more. She made me feel insecure about myself and that was not how I was supposed to feel with my best friend. When I started to think about it, I realized I should feel the way I feel when I'm with Alice. I feel good when I'm with her. We have a lot of fun and we get along great.

"Well, I don't know, Alice. Could we not talk about this right now?"

Alice was clearly not going to let him have his way. "No. I think this is the perfect time."

Edward sighed in defeat. "Fine, then."

I was pretty surprised as Alice excused herself, telling us that she had to go to the bathroom. But she urged Edward to continue, saying that I would tell her later and that if he'd stop now, he's never going to say it. I was even more surprised when Edward nodded as if there was nothing wrong and looked at me to continue what he was trying to say before.

"I'm going to break up with her tomorrow. I'm sorry to tell you this, Bella, but your friend is crazy. I have to admit, I kissed her once." He took a breath, as if he needed to calm himself before he continued. "It was that night at the club. I didn't mean to. When I first saw her, I didn't like her. Like Alice said before, she seemed so fake and I was dancing with you at the time. I was having a great time and you know, I thought you were an amazing girl…" He blushed slightly as I listed with my mouth opened. Was I dreaming this, or was he really telling me all of these things?

"But then she came to talk to us and you just seemed to want to get out of there as soon as possible. I have to say, I was really disappointed. I didn't like Tanya at all, but she was really flirty. I was still hoping for you to come back, but when I saw you walk away, I realized you wouldn't. I just felt… as if you didn't like me. Tanya liked me, so I loosened up a little, thinking that maybe she would be more fun if I got to know her. And yes, she kissed me. I'm sorry to say I kissed her back. I don't know what happened to me." I think my eyes were popping out as I listened to him. How could I hear all of this and not think I was dreaming? He must be joking. It was a mean joke, though.

"But Bella, when I got to know you better, it just confirmed my suspicions, that I wanted to be with _you_ and not Tanya. After having lunch with you today, I decided to break up with Tanya. Maybe this is hard for you to hear, considering that Tanya is your best friend and all. But Bella, I can't lie to her or myself anymore."

My mouth was still open, and I closed it quickly. I couldn't believe what he was telling me. I was just about to answer him stupidly, and I knew I was sure to regret it, but I was lucky enough that Alice came back just at that second. Wow, great timing. It gave me a little more time to think about what Edward had said to me.

"So," Alice said in a cheerful voice. "Did I miss anything?" She seemed to know exactly what we had been talking about though, and seeing that Edward and I both didn't say a word about it, she dropped the subject, but she still carried a grin on her face, telling us that she knew everything.

* * *

**There you go. He told her. Now, aren't you all very glad? Or not, maybe some of you were on Tanya's side..? ;] Haha jk.  
So, tell me what you think! **

**xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone. You don't know how truly sorry and ashamed I am, for not updating for over a month!  
Yes, you may yell at me if you like. After I finished my other story, I just felt the need to take a little break from writing, as it took too much of my time. But when ideas for this story popped into my head at night, I figured that it was time to continue.  
Now, I'd like to thank my amazing beta. Thank you so much for your help!!  
**

**And for the rest, I don't believe there's anything left to say.  
Except maybe: 'Enjoy the Chapter!'  
Which is exactly what I WILL say.  
**

**_ENJOY THE CHAPTER!_**

* * *

The rest of the dinner was really awkward, because Edward didn't say a word to me. I did catch him looking at me sometimes, though he always looked away quickly when he saw me.

Alice was chattering away, pretending she didn't notice all the awkwardness around the table. I hardly noticed her mouth moving, all I could think about was Edward.

Did he really want me? Would he dump Tanya? Would I go out with Edward, if they broke up.

Of course, I would be breaking the girl rules if I started dating him. You know, not dating your best friend's ex-boyfriend. But on the other hand, I saw him first. And ever since my eyes met with his, I've known that he was special. That he was really someone I should hold on to. The problem is: How can you hold on to something you never even had?

But the truth was: I may want to be loyal to Tanya and girl rules, but I knew I couldn't turn down Edward. If he so much as looked at me with his piercing green eyes, I wouldn't be able to say no to him. More than that, I didn't want to.

Another problem: How would I break the news to Tanya? She would definitely kill me, if she found out. Oh no, Tanya! She didn't even know Edward was about to break up with him. Right now she was probably thinking about the best way to seduce him.

How would she react if she found out that, for the first time _ever_, she lost a guy… _to me_. That would probably shock her quite a bit.

"Bella? Can you please focus?" Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face, waiting impatiently for an answer. "Do you even know what I just asked?" Her eyes were wide open, as if she were in shock. I noticed Edward trying to hide his laughter from the corner of my eyes.

I blinked my eyes a few times from the surprise. "I'm sorry Alice, but I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

Alice rolled her eyes, but I could tell that she wasn't mad at me since she was still smiling. "Nothing important, Bella. I was just asking if you knew what time Tanya would come home?"

I started blushing. It was almost like she knew I had been thinking of Tanya. "I don't know exactly, but it's probably going to be late."

Alice's face lit up, for reasons that would always be unfamiliar to me. "So you'll be all alone tonight, if you come home?" I looked at Edward, silently asking him what Alice was going at,

but he quickly averted his eyes from me, acting like he hadn't seen me.

I turned my red face to Alice, instead of trying to make contact with Edward. I was beginning to look like a socially disturbed person for not answering Alice's question sooner. "I guess so, Alice. Why do you ask?"

But instead of answering, Alice just sat and grinned at me. I saw Edward giving her an angry glare and his left hand reached at something beneath the table. I felt the urge to look under the table to see what he was doing.

"Well, Bella," Edward murmured through his teeth, apparently not very pleased with Alice right now, because he wasn't looking at me while he said this. He turned his face towards me now, and his expression softened. "We wouldn't want you to be home alone." My eyes shifted between Alice and Edward for a moment. There was something going on between the two of them. What was wrong?

Because I still hadn't answered Edward's…comment, I quickly told them that it didn't matter, that I was alone all the time and that I liked it that way.

Of course, if Edward would keep me company, there would be nothing wrong with that, either.

The second I said it, Edward and Alice started protesting, telling me that they wouldn't leave me alone, especially not tonight because Tanya would be out late. They told me that they would walk home with me and stay until I went to sleep.

I even told them that they could be late, too, but they said it didn't matter.

My objections didn't help and after having another fight about the bill (Edward said he would pay for my food, but I told him I could afford it myself. Edward got his way, of course.) the three of us walked to the apartment Tanya and I shared.

"They did _not_!" The words came out in between my laughter.

"They did. They actually went up this big company, telling them they were there to ask them questions about their toilet paper. The company actually believed it, too, and even answered about eleven questions before Rose and Em got kicked out." Edward was laughing too, though he had heard the story Alice was telling.

She told me all about their family, about how good they all got along and how funny Rose and Em were together.

"They actually went up there again once, to ask if they could borrow some sugar." Edward said, causing me to laugh even harder.

"It's a shame I don't know them that well. If I get the chance, I'll try to get to know them. They sound like fun." I said after I calmed down a little.

"They are." Edward answered. "You know what, you should come tomorrow. Our parents are having a dinner and I would like it very much if you'd show up."

Alice immediately shrieked, almost yelling at me that I should come. I covered my ears with my hands, unable to handle the volume of Alice's voice. "Oh Bella! That would be fantastic! My parents would _adore_ you, I know that for sure. I told them lots of things about you and they're dying to meet you!"

My cheeks got warmer by the second and I was slightly embarrassed because of what Alice told me. "You told them things about me? That's it. Then I can't come anymore. There can't be any positive things you could tell them."

Alice rolled her eyes and playfully punched her fist against my arm. Even though she's such a small lady, the girl had an enormous strength. Although I know she didn't mean to, it hurt pretty bad. I resisted the urge to shout _"OW"_ very loudly.

"Come on Bella, don't be so naïve. You know you're a great person and so do we. You're coming tomorrow, whether you like it or not!"

I laughed, but Edward didn't seem to think it was that funny. "Alice, you can't force her to come. If she doesn't want to, we can't make her."

Alice laughed. "Of course she wants to come, you silly big brother." Edward looked at me to make sure I did and I nodded at him, telling him I thought it sounded great and that I would love to come.

"But do you think your parents will be okay with it?" I asked them to be sure. I didn't want to come there and be told that I wasn't invited.

But Alice simply waved all my concerns away, telling me that her parents would love to meet me and that of course it would be okay for me to come.

Edward told me the time and place and I made a mental note not to forget it, though Alice told me not to worry because she would call me tomorrow and tell me again where it was and what time I should be there. She also hinted that she might give me more details.

I thanked them both for being nice and didn't say another word until we arrived at my place. It didn't take a long time, really, since we'd been only a couple of houses away from mine when we were talking about the dinner.

"I expect you both want to come up with the excuse of not wanting to leave me alone?" I asked playfully, though I actually meant it. "Or have you both changed your mind?"

They both came up with me to the apartment after another protest from Alice when I asked them if they changed her mind. Seriously, how could the girl be so alive and so cheerful _all the time?_ I mean, I had a hard time being cheerful for just four hours, but it seemed as if Alice was able to do this all day long. She even seemed like a morning person, though I haven't exactly seen her in the morning.

I closed the door behind Edward, who was the last to enter through the door. "Would anybody like a drink? I could make coffee…" I suggested this because I wasn't sure what they would be in the mood for. "Or maybe something a little more stronger? There are a lot of things in Tanya's fridge. I don't really know what's good and what's not, it's not really mine, but you can go ahead and help yourself if you'd like some."

Alice smiled, telling me that they didn't want anything with alcohol in it – Apparently they didn't like it very much, though occasionally it could be good. – but that coffee sounded just fine.

So that's what I did. I made some coffee, while making small talk with Alice and Edward, who were now sitting in the living room, making themselves at home.

"I'm really sorry about the coffee," I said as I entered the room with three cups in my hand (The upside on working in a restaurant is learning how to carry a lot of things at the same time), "I'm just not very good at making it. But please, feel free to leave it here, I won't hunt you down if you don't drink it."

Edward snickered. "You're lying, Bella Swan. Your coffee tasted delicious the last time I had some."

I rolled my eyes and put the cups in front of them. "Here you go." I said, sitting down on the couch.

After a while everybody was comfortable sitting there and we were telling each other stupid things we did in the past and we would laugh about other people's stories and tell them that we did exactly the same thing.

It was a lot of fun, at least, it was a lot of fun to me.

Until _she_ showed up.

I heard a key in the lock of the door. Since Tanya and I were the only ones who had a key, it could only be Tanya. Edward's eyes popped open a little and I wasn't exactly comfortable either. Here I was, sitting with my best friend's soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, having a great time, while she was out with a few other friends, not knowing that I had a meeting with her boyfriend and his sister.

Or that they invited me to have dinner with them and their parents tomorrow.

But Alice was just sitting in her seat, as relaxed as always, as if there were nothing going on.

When Tanya opened the door, I immediately knew that she was drunk. She almost fell down when the door opened, her hands quickly gripping the nearest thing to her body.

"Edward!" She said with a bright smile, her keys in her left hand and her right hand still on the doorknob. "What are you doing here? You told me you didn't want to come!" Edward stayed still, not answering Tanya's greeting nor her question.

"Tanya." I questioned. "How much did you drink tonight?"

Tanya giggled, walking forward, slamming the door shut behind her. "No more than usual.." She slurred, almost falling into the end table. "Just a few drinks…"

Then her attention went back to Edward. "You." She drawled, pointing lazily at Edward. "I can't believe you said you didn't want to come tonight. You are so stupid. Everyone wants to come with me!" Her voice was still very cheerful, but you could hear she was drunk in every word. "You know how many phone numbers I got tonight? _Fourteen! _You know how many drinks people offered me tonight? A _lot_ more than fourteen." She giggled. It sounded like she added an extra 'sh' to the end of every word. "You are so STUPID Edward."

Edward looked at me and Alice, searching for help. But both Alice and I didn't know what to do. He was on his own. And so he did something. On his own. "Tanya. Let's go outside. We need to talk."

* * *

**Ooohh, exciting isn't it?  
I'm guessing this is will be the moment where a _lot _of you have been waiting for./  
But, being the way I am and unable to help myself from being mean, I'm making you all wait for the next chapter.  
Maybe a lot of reviews will make me update so much faster? Who knows.**

**I love you all.**

**xxx  
me.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi éveryone! I know what you're thinking: WHAT?! A CHAPTER?! HONESTLY?! IT'S BEEN LIKE, FOREVER SINCE YOU UPDATED. And I know, you're right. I've been terrible.. and I'm deeply ashamed.**

My excuse? MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK. That's why this chapter's so bad.. I couldn't work my way through it. So now it's short and bad and I'm sorry. But the good news? I think, now that I'm finally got through this chapter, that I can continue with it. I mean, if I still have readers and if you'll still support me with your kind reviews and great suggestions! Because that's what keeps me going!

**Also, I've sent this chapter to my beta a couple of days ago, but she didn't respond. I couldn't wait any longer, though, and REALLY wanted to put this up. If she sends me the chapter back, I'll replace this one with the beta-version, kay? So I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes and the really bad writing and stuff...**

**Well, let me just shut up, so you can get to the reading!**

* * *

I so wasn't going to stay around for this.

Was Edward seriously planning on breaking up with Tanya while me and Alice were in the next room? Because he couldn't be _that_ stupid. I have never met anyone who was actually wanted to break up with Tanya. He couldn't even wait one more day to do it, when she wasn't drunk and when she could actually remember the entire thing.

It was already hard for me to understand why he would want to break up with her, so it was even harder for me to understand why he had to do it now!

Alice obviously didn't agree with him either, since her eyes were wide open and she was shaking her head at him.

The three of us were exchanging glances at each other, while Tanya was standing there, looking extremely drunk and vulnerable.

She pointed a finger at Edward, taking one step forward but then another few steps to get her balance back. "Talk, Edward? To me?" She giggled a little and flipped her hair back. "Why? Are you finally ready to sleep with me, Edward? Because that took you a _long_ time!!" She laughed and walked to Edward, just to put both her arms around his neck. "I was almost considering cheating, babe, you have to be more careful next time." Her index finger touched the tip of his nose playfully. But Edward didn't laugh.

Edward was about to tell her everything and break up with her right here on the spot. I was already preparing myself, because Tanya would still be mad, even if she was drunk. Tanya can get pretty aggressive when she's drunk, that's why I never allow her to drunk too much if I'm around; the sight isn't pretty.

Alice saw what Edward was planning and did not approve what he was about to do. She quickly got up and walked to Edward's side. Tanya finally noticed who she was and greeted her with a surprised face, asking Edward what she was doing here.

This was apparently hilarious to Tanya, since she started laughing and giggling. This had to end. Fortunately, it seemed that Alice was amazing in these kind of situations. At least in this one. It kind of made me wonder how she had learned that. Did she have the experience?

Alice giggled a little with Tanya, telling her how funny this situation was (even though there was nothing funny about it) and laughed at her jokes. She told Tanya she looked a little tired and managed to get her into bed.

Seriously, she had to teach me how to do that.

There was an awkward silence between Edward and me when Alice left the room to help Tanya go to bed. Neither of us really knew what to say after Tanya loudly left the room. I just sat in my chair, drank my coffee and waited for Alice to return from Tanya's room.

All Edward did was stare at his feet.

After what seemed like hours, Alice finally emerged from Tanya's room, a smile on her face and her eyes relaxed. "Well, now that that's all done… Edward, are you ready to go?" It seemed as if forcing drunk girls to sleep was something Alice did every day, but I knew this couldn't be true because Edward looked just as surprised as I was.

"Already done?" He asked Alice, which was of course exactly what I had just wanted to ask her. But he beat me to it. A part of me liked it a lot that Edward and I were so alike, but another part hated it, because it would only make me like him more.

But hadn't he said he wanted to break up with Tanya because he wanted to be with me? Surely, that must've been a dream. I pinched myself, just to check if it was a dream. I didn't wake up.

That's why, when Alice left the room, I came up to Edward, very embarrassed, and asked him if he wanted to drink coffee with me tomorrow, or maybe the day after. Surprisingly, Edward seemed happy about that and immediately said he would, but that he _had_ to break up with Tanya first.

Okay, he didn't say it like that exactly, he just told me that he had some things to do first, but that he would stop by the restaurant to ask me when I had the time.

Since this all worked out fine for me, I nodded happily, assuring him that I wasn't toying with his emotions (He asked this a couple of times, as a joke, of course) and said him and Alice goodbye.

I leaned against the door I just closed and let out a deep sigh, glad that they were gone so that I would have a little time for myself to think things through.

EPOV

Alice and I walked back to our hotel. I could tell she was really mad at me, and why wouldn't she? I almost broke up with a girl right in front of her and her 'new bff'. Whatever. It was so weird, seeing Alice and Bella together, being friends. That's the exact same thing Bella and _I_ were; just friends. I didn't want to be just another friend. Tanya was Bella's friend. Alice was Bella's friend. I didn't want to be in that list. But I'm pretty sure there was no way out now. I couldn't believe I actually told her how much I liked her and she didn't even respond. True, Alice just came back from the bathroom, but still. She could've taken my hand or glare at me or something like that. Something to let me know how she felt about me.

And then we invited Bella to diner tomorrow night, basically forcing her to come, since Alice didn't let her choose for herself. She must hate the Cullens now, something I didn't exactly like.

"Alice," I said, "I know you're mad at me right now and I completely understand." Alice didn't respond. She didn't look at me and she didn't say a word. She just stared straight ahead. "I shouldn't have acted the way I did." I told her with a sigh. "And I know I'm not really entitled to ask you for a favour, yet I'm still going to. Because this is about something really important to me." Still nothing. I took a deep breath and spilled. "Look, Alice, you probably know this already, since you know absolutely everything, but… I like Bella. I like her so much it's insane. I've barely even spoken to her! Yet still, she just has that special something and no one can blame me for falling for her. But Alice, I don't think she's all that into me. So I need you, okay? I need your scheming mind and your fantastic matchmaking! I need you to help me get Bella."

Now there was a response. Alice's huge eyes were looking at me, though they didn't look mad, but… dare I say it? Happy. "FINALLY EDWARD!" She eventually exclaimed. "Oh, I've been waiting for you to say that. Of course you like Bella, I knew right away that the two of you would be great together. But then that stupid Tanya-girl came along and ruined _everything_ I had in mind. But now, finally! You asked me for help. You should've done that in the beginning!" I was completely shocked that Alice had this in mind from the beginning, but then again, it was Alice. She knew absolutely everything about everyone. "But don't worry, Edward. I admit that you haven't done everything right, but I'll make sure everything will turn out the way I planned."

Then we reached our hotel and she ran up to our floor. Oh sure, she said goodnight first. While she was running.

But it didn't matter. Because Alice said it would be okay. And Alice never lies.

* * *

**BAD. I know.  
Let me know what you think, though. Tell me how awful I am for keeping you waiting for SOOO long. I feel terrible about it.**

**So... TELL ME EVERYTHING THAT POPPED INTO YOUR HEAD DURING THE CHAPTER! I'd like to know. Also, want to know if I sill have any readers left, who stuck by me dyring my writer's block. ;]**

**With Love,**

**me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! It sure has been a while and I hope you all remember this story, because I've forgotten a LOT of details. That's why there might be a few mistakes, but if you find one, let me know and I'll correct it.  
Anyways, I owe you all an apology. The truth is, I have a pretty crazy life. I hardly have ten minutes all to myself, so that's why I didn't have the time, or the energy, to update. I''m very sorry about that.  
I could promise you quicker updates, but the truth is, I'm not too sure. I hope that I will be able to update very soon though, I'd like to finish this story. Even if it takes me years, I WILL finish it. I promise.**

**Now, READ! x]**

* * *

EPOV

I knew this had to happen. From the start, I knew this day would come. I've dreaded this moment for a while now and I had the right to, apparently. But, the job had to be done and I was the only one who could do it. That's why, when I woke up this morning, I tried not to fall asleep again and sleep until the day was over. I had to get up and do what I was supposed to do: break up with Tanya.

Even though I had kissed her that night, I never really liked her. She seemed fake, not very nice and she didn't have anything special. Of course she was pretty, in a way. I understood why other guys liked her. She looked good, but way too slutty for me. Maybe that's exactly why a lot of men like her. They like the slutty. Don't get me wrong, I'm a guy and of course I like sexy. I just didn't like slutty. That wasn't sexy at all. Bella was sexy. Bella was _very_ sexy. She was sexy and breathtakingly beautiful, funny, smart.. She was everything a girl could be. Tanya, on the other hand, was not. And she didn't like it when guys broke up with her.

"You WHAT?" She screamed, even though we were in a public place. I took her to a restaurant for breakfast to break up with her. I was thinking that maybe, if there were other people around, she'd behave a little bit. My plan didn't work, because Tanya didn't care there were other people around. She was getting dumped and I could see that that hadn't happened a lot to her before.

"I'm breaking up with you, Tanya." I said to her in what I hope was a calming voice. "Even though we weren't really together, I'm breaking up with you." It was true, we hadn't really been together, but I felt she deserved to know I wasn't into her. It would be unfair to her if I just started dating her best friend, even though she didn't treat Bella as her best friend.

Tanya screamed some more. Maybe she thought she could win me back by yelling, but that wouldn't work. My god, it was early in the morning, how could someone scream like this at this hour?! I certainly couldn't. I was still pretty tired. And scared. Tired, because I couldn't sleep last night, I was thinking of Bella the entire time. Scared, because I wanted Bella _so_ much, but I feared she wouldn't like me. I was afraid she'd only look at me as a friend. Even though Alice assured me last night that she had a plan, I didn't trust it anymore. I had been calmed when she said it, but now I couldn't believe it would work out. Bella didn't like me and that was it. I should just accept it.

I focussed on Tanya again, because she was really making a scene. "Tanya, I'm sorry I ever let you believe that you and I could be in a relationship, but it wasn't my intention, I assure you." Tanya wasn't nice. She was actually very mean and couldn't take it when someone didn't adore her. But that wasn't an excuse for me to treat her like I did. I was unfair, kissing her, giving her the idea that I liked her, when I hadn't. She deserved to know the truth.

She didn't calm down though. "You know what, Edward? I don't care. I don't care your breaking up with me, because I've never even liked you!" She was lying, we both knew that she was, but I didn't say anything about it. I let her talk nonsense. "And honestly, you're not that great as you apparently seem to think you are." She grabbed her jacket and her purse and stormed out of the restaurant. Thank god. I didn't think I could take it any longer. I asked for the bill, payed it and left too.

Tanya and Bella were best friends, I couldn't believe it. They were so different. Bella couldn't possible like Tanya, could she? Bella was kind and caring and Tanya was just… horrible. No, that couldn't be true. Tanya couldn't be horrible, there must be some reason why Bella liked Tanya.

I walked to the restaurant where Bella would be working. She asked me last night if we could get a cup of coffee together. I'd love to do more things with Bella, but I didn't want to do those things while being her friend. I already told her I liked her, why couldn't she just tell me how she felt? Then we'd both be able to move on. I could try to forget her, even though I knew that I couldn't. She was perfection and I wanted her in my life. I wanted to be able to say that I was her best friend, the love of her life, the one who knows her best. I knew it would be impossible, but I wanted to be with Bella. If there was only a way I could make her love me. But I knew it wouldn't be that simple. It's even harder now that I started something with Tanya. I should have never done that. It was a stupid mistake and I wish I could take it back.

My phone rang, it was Alice, of course. "Hi Alice, what's up?" I asked her. I hadn't seen Alice since last night, when I had asked for her help.

"Edward." She said. "Are you on your way to Bella?" I was surprised to hear this question, why should she want to know where I am? It was my life, after all, I could do whatever I please.

I answered her, nonetheless. "Yes, actually, I am. Why?" Then it started. Alice's plan. She told me what I should say, how I should act, what I should order, etcetera. When Alice plans something, she plans every little detail. She told me what time I should arrive at the restaurant, how I should ask for Bella, bla bla bla. I knew I asked for her help, but I hated it when she treated me as if I weren't capable of normal conversation. I have lots of friends with whom I manage to have normal conversations by myself, thank you very much. I don't need someone telling me my every move. Or word.

"Okay, okay, I think I got it, Alice." I said. "No! Don't repeat it! I've got it. I can handle this, don't worry." Even though I told her not to worry, I was worrying myself. What if I blew it with her? I knew I'd never find a girl as great as Bella, you only meet someone like her once in your life. If you blow it, you won't get a second chance. Well actually, I already blew it, so there better be a second chance or my life would really suck.

I opened the doors to her workplace. The place was crowded, there were no tables left, which was fine by me, I only came to talk to Bella. I saw this guy walking towards me. "Sorry, sir, we don't have any tables left. We're completely full. Maybe if you'd come back in an hour, we'll have a table for you."

"No, that's okay." I answered. "I'm actually here to talk to Bella. Bella Swan. She works here." The man looked a little disappointed that I wasn't a customer, but he told me to follow him and so I did.

BPOV

"Aw, Jake, that's horrible!" I laughed. Even though it was pretty crowded in here – there were no tables available anymore - Jacob and I still managed to have a few laughs. He told me about last night, when he went out with a few of his friends, Sam, Seth and Paul, and about the stupid things they did, because they were pretty drunk.

Jacob laughed too. "I'm sorry, Bells, but at least I'm telling the truth." He said in between laughs. "We can't all be as perfect as you are." He said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and ignored his comment. He was always nice, giving me compliments and stuff.

"Are you sure Nessie is okay with all the things you and your friends pull every time you guys go out?" I confronted him. "I know you guys have been together for a while, but she could still back out."

He opened his mouth to tell me something, but Tom, our boss, was walking in our direction, so I apologized to Jacob and got back to work, before he started lecturing me.

I liked that I could talk to Jacob about everything. It took my mind of things. When I woke up this morning the only thing I could think about was Edward. He might have broken up with Tanya by now, I didn't know for sure. She didn't have to work today, so I hadn't seen her yet. We haven't spoken about her drunkenness last night, either. I knew I had to say something about it, but I couldn't today. Not if Edward would break up with her.

I remembered him telling me he'd stop by my work to see me, but I didn't think he'd show up. Besides, if he would, I wouldn't have any time for him. There were so many people and there was a lot of work to be done. But again, I didn't mind. I never mind working hard and especially not today. If I'd have nothing to do, all I would think about was Edward and that would be very wrong. I thought about how he told me he liked me. My heart started racing. Would he really like me? I couldn't imagine he would, but why would he say it if he didn't mean it? And what if he and Tanya had broken up, would he ask me out? A big part of me hoped that he would, but a different part hoped that he wouldn't. It would be wrong to go out with him, he was my best friends ex! According to girl-rules, he was off-limits. Oh, but I wanted him so badly! And Tanya has a thousand ex-boyfriends. Couldn't I have just this one? I knew Tanya liked Edward a lot, but I couldn't help but think that she only cared about his looks. She never really talked to Alice, his sister.

Even though I had managed to avoid him before, Tom still walked towards me. I guess he really wanted to lecture someone. I braced myself, I knew he wouldn't mean it, but Tom always liked to make someone feel bad every day. He wanted us to know that he was in charge. Apparently he didn't realise we knew that he was in charge and he felt the need to humiliate a few people every day.

"Bella." He said. "There's someone here to see you. Now, it's pretty crowded in here, so please make it short. Five minutes." Tom walked lead me to the kitchen, where Edward was waiting for me.

I tried to fight the smile, but I couldn't help it. His appearance made me smile and there was nothing I could do about it. "Edward." I said, while putting down my tray. I couldn't fight the urge to hug him, so I did. I was a hug-person. He looked a little surprised by my move, but he hugged me back. "How are you?" I asked. That wasn't what I really wanted to know. I wanted to know if he broke up with Tanya, but I couldn't ask him that. That would be rude.

"I'm fine." He said. "And you?" He smiled his crooked smile at me, which made me weak in the knees. God, he was so fantastic.

"I'm great. I'm pretty busy here." I said, which reminded me. "I only have about five minutes, so why don't you tell me why you're here?" I suggested.

He laughed. "Well, I'm actually here because I said so last night. I told you I'd stop by, did you forget?" I shook my head. I hadn't forgotten, but I hadn't thought he'd really come. "Well, then. If I remember correctly you asked me if I wanted to drink coffee sometime, so I came here to tell you that I would love to."

"Great." I said. "Only I'm really busy right now, so what about four o'clock?" I suggested. I got off at three, that would give me a little time to prepare myself.

"Sure." He said. So we agreed on a place and then he left again.

"Well, well." Jacob said. "Edward Cullen himself." Jacob knew about Edward, I had already told him everything.

"Yeah, we're going out for coffee this afternoon." I said with a little blush on my face, which Jacob teased me about. He loved it when I blushed, just like a lot of people. They all liked to make fun of my blushing. I hated it. But hey, I teased him about a lot of things too, so he could tease me right back.

Time passed quickly. I had a lot to do, so I didn't have a lot of time to think about Edward. At three o'clock exactly, I quickly went home, changed, did my make up and wrote a note for Tanya, in case she'd come home today.

Because I was pretty late, I took a cab to the little coffee place Edward and I would meet. I liked him a lot, as a friend, but I also wanted more. I didn't know if I could though, because of Tanya.

When I walked in, Edward was already there. I smiled and sat beside him. "Hey." He said. That was all. Hey. It was a normal word, but coming from Edward's mouth it somehow made me weak in the knees again.

"So, couldn't wait to see me tonight at dinner?" He asked. I frowned. Dinner? I asked him about it. "You forgot? I can't believe it." He laughed. "Well, actually I can, because a lot of things happened last night. You were going to eat dinner with us tonight, remember? Alice invited you.." Oh right. Dinner. At the Cullen's. I was pretty nervous. I knew Alice and Edward and I've met their brothers and sisters, but I never really talked to them. And I would meet their parents. Oh, I'm so dead.

"Right." I said. "I'd completely forgotten. I don't even have anything to wear!" Edward just laughed. I don't know why. There was nothing funny about it.

"Don't worry about that." He said. "I've just spoken to Alice and she insisted on dressing you. It's her thing." He explained, when I looked at him as if he were crazy. Well, at least I'd have something to wear. And honestly, how bad could Alice actually be?

* * *

**PLEASE READ THIS. (IMPORTANT.) = Like I said before, I don't know when I'll be able to update again. But the truth is, the only thing that makes me update, are your reactions. Your advise, your comments, your ideas. I'm very lazy, and I'm not that good at finishing stories. So if you want me to update, please give me ideas, comments, anything! They help me writing. Last chapter I was pretty excited, but I only got a couple of reviews, so I was pretty disappointed and couldn't write again.**

**But I love everyone of you! So please, let me know what you think!**

**xx,  
Me**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi dear sweet readers. Here I am again with an update. It's pretty fast considering how fast I usually update, don't you all think so? Anyways; I wanted to let you all in on a happy little secret: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS ALREADY FINISHED! Yes, it's true. If you've heard any rumour; I'm confirming it now. ;) The chapter AFTER the next one is already halfway done. Honestly, I'm not used to that, but hey, I'm perfectly fine with it. Anyways it all depends on how badly you all want it.. If you want it BAD, it could be up tomorrow. But it could take a few weeks. ;] I'm just kidding. **

**Thanks everyone for sticking with me, even though I'm so lazy in updating. Love you all! Honestly, I do.**

**Special thanks to Zerousy for her awesome reviews full of ideas. Thanks so much. Your review made me laugh so loudly, it's insane. :) **

**Now, ENJOY.**

* * *

BPOV.

"Hold your head still!" I was trying to, honestly, I was. It's just, it is very hard to hold one's head still, while someone else is tugging on your hair as if she wanted to rip them off of your head. "Bella, come on! I can't do this if you don't work with me." I sighed. I hadn't even _asked_ her to do this. She just demanded she'd do it and that was it. No one had supported me and I hadn't thought it would be this bad. I mean, I had always thought that Tanya was bad. She always wanted to do my make-up and dress me in pretty slutty clothes. But that had been nothing. Not compared to the monster who was brushing my hair now. The worst part; she had begun with my hair. She hadn't even started with my make-up and clothes yet. I sighed. Alice.

The afternoon had begun so fantastic, when Edward came to talk to me at the restaurant. I smiled at the thought of him. He was amazing and I wish he were mine. But he wasn't. I had to remind myself that Edward was _not_ my boyfriend, even though I wanted him to be. Sure, he said he liked me and yeah, I liked him back. A lot. But could I really do that to Tanya? I mean, she _was_, after all, my best friend. Yeah, she could be a real bitch sometimes, but she has a good heart. The problem is that Tanya is gorgeous. It's not her fault, she just is. When we were younger, she didn't care about her looks, she was just this awesome girl who played lots of sports and who wore sweatpants to school. But now she adores the attention she's getting from the guys. And who wouldn't like it? I sure would like some attention every now and then, even though I wouldn't get it when I'm standing next to Tanya.

Except for Edward. He liked me. He could have had Tanya, but he didn't want her. At least, that's what he told me. I didn't know for sure if he had broken up with Tanya. He told me last night that he would, but since he hadn't said anything about it and Alice hadn't said anything about, I wasn't too sure anymore. I would have thought Alice would tell me if even Edward wouldn't let me know. But since she hadn't said a word, I must conclude that he didn't break up with her. I would've known, don't you think?

Speaking of Alice, my head was starting to hurt really bad. "Alice, do you really have to pull that hard? I feel like my hair will fall out." Alice just laughed and assured me my hair would still be on my head by the time she was done. Yeah right, I don't think so. "Well, are you almost done, then? Because you still have to do my make-up and pick out my clothes…"

Dinner starts at seven and it was now six o'clock. Two hours ago I met up with Edward to drink some coffee and talk a little bit. It had been fun, definitely, but nothing special had happened. He hadn't said anything about Tanya, or about how he felt about me. Nothing. Zero. Nada. Not that I minded, of course, I couldn't care less. But it's just that I would have liked to know what had happened to my best friend. Would I have to comfort her when she came home? Would we be able to watch a movie together, like we always had done? I should think not, because if she found out I had dinner at the Cullen's she would kill me. Literally.

"Don't worry Bella, I know what I'm doing. Trust me." I closed my eyes, thinking that I would have to trust her, because I didn't have anything to wear and I couldn't do my own make-up. Tanya always did my make-up when we went out together. It was sort of depressing to me, knowing she'd be mad at me. Even though sometimes I didn't want to be anywhere near her, I did love her. I've known her for years and I would definitely miss her if she wouldn't talk to me again.

Fifteen minutes and a few dreams about Edward later, Alice was finished with my hair. "Tada!" She said, even though I couldn't see a thing.

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, you know I can't see myself, don't you?" She winked. That was it. No explanation, no turning me around so I could look at my hair, nothing. "Alice, why can't I look at myself? You've been pulling on my hair for half an hour, don't you think I have the right to see how it looks?"

Alice laughed. "Sure. But not yet." She said, while grabbing a black box with white letters on it. "I have to do your make-up first. The hair and make-up are a package. You can't look at them separately." She said. She didn't add a 'duh', but she might as well have. Even though that seemed obvious to her, I've never heard it before. Not even from Tanya. Hair and make-up a package? Hmm, maybe. If your hair is pretty classy, you can't wear black lipstick. It seemed pretty obvious now that I thought about it. Huh, I guess Alice was pretty smart.

The black box turned out to be a make-up box, with her luxurious make-up in it. There were lots of lipsticks, eye shadow, lipgloss, you name it. She had different colours, brands, sizes, whatever. I guess Alice took her make-up seriously. She studied the contents of her box, looked at me, studied my face, checked if the colours would match my clothes (apparently, she had already picked out my outfit) and then finally, got started. I didn't know exactly what she was doing. I just saw her face in front of mine, telling me to close my eyes, open my eyes, part my lips a little bit, close my lips, scrunch my nose, etcetera. I didn't know what was happening, but I did know she was an expert. She knew exactly what to do and how to do it. I just hoped she didn't do my make-up too obvious. I didn't want to look slutty, like Tanya.

It took a while, but finally she finished my make-up. "Now, your dress!" She squealed. I sighed and rolled my eyes, not knowing someone could be _that_ enthusiastic about dresses. But when I saw what dress she had picked out for me, I got pretty enthusiastic too. It was the most gorgeous dress I've ever seen and my eyes got big when I saw it. A smile appeared on my face at the thought of wearing that dress in front of Edward tonight. **(A/N: Pictures of all three dresses on my profile.) **

"Can I really wear that?" I asked her. She laughed and nodded before making me put the dress on. "So is eating dinner with the Cullen's always such a big deal?" I asked her. "I mean, you all have to put on dresses and suits and whatever?"

Alice nodded. "Well, not every night, but when we go out for dinner, yeah, it's a big deal. My parent's are pretty known around here, so we always go to an expensive restaurant, where you're supposed to dress like this. And even though we're not eating out today, the tradition's still there. There are a few of dad's business partners coming so we decided we should dress a little"

There was a knock on the door and Rosalie walked in. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, that showed off her long legs. "Hey Rose." Alice said. "I was just making Bella pretty. Not that you're not pretty when I don't do your hair and make-up." She added quickly.

Rosalie nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. You look beautiful Bella." I blushed a little bit and assured her she looked fantastic too. Rose laughed. "Are you almost done Alice?" Rosalie asked her. Alice didn't do anything about herself at all. She had been focussed on me. But Alice said she'd be done in ten minutes, which I couldn't believe though. But after ten minutes, Alice was done. She was wearing a gorgeous blue dress, that was pretty revealing in the back and front. I couldn't wear it, Tanya couldn't wear it without looking slutty, but Alice pulled it off. She looked amazing.

EPOV

I was talking to Emmett and Jasper before we went out for dinner. My parents like organising a big dinner, they like to play the host. I didn't mind anymore. When we were younger, we hated these dinners, but now I've grown pretty used to it. Besides, Bella would be coming today. I hated to admit it, but I was pretty nervous. I've never been nervous around a girl before and the fact that I was nervous around Bella, well, that seemed like a good sign. To be honest, I liked her better than any of the other girls I've dated.

There were a few people here that I've met before. "Edward!" a voice said behind me. I turned around and greeted the man who stood in front of me. I've met him a few times before, he was a good business partner of my father, but I hadn't seen him for a few years, I suppose. "How are you doing, Edward? Still want to become a doctor?"

I smiled. "Absolutely, sir. No one could make me change my mind on that." The man laughed and agreed. If you have a dream, you've got to go after it and I've always wanted to help people. That's why I want to be a doctor. At least, I wanted to be a doctor, after I've played the piano for a few years. I earned a lot of money doing that and I was pretty well known in Europe. I remembered the night I met Bella, in the club. I told her that I had played the piano for a living and she thought I quit doing that because I couldn't pay the bills anymore. My lips formed a smile at the thought of that. I was able to pay all the bills, as well as a lot of other things. I'd earned quite a lot of money and still had a lot of money left from that time, even though I had used a big part of it to pay for college.

"Hey Edward." Emmett said. I excused myself and turned around, where Emmett and Jasper were standing. "You said that Bella girl was coming tonight, right?" I nodded. Yes, she was coming. She was upstairs with Alice and probably Rose right now. I felt my heart beating faster at the thought of her. "Great." Emmett said with a grin. "I'd like to see the girl that made my brother act like a complete fool." I rolled my eyes. In our family, there were no secrets. So naturally, everyone knew about Bella. Alice had told them all about her. "I'm glad you ditched that Tanya girl, though." Emmett continued. "She was horrible. And everyone was drooling at the mere sight of her. Yuck. What self-respecting man would chase a girl? Always let the girls chase you, is my motto!" He and Jasper high-fived and I rolled my eyes, but laughed, too.

I looked around the room to see who else was here. Then my heart stopped. Alice, Rose and Bella were walking down the staircase. Bella looked absolutely stunning. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until I breathed out again. Wow. Now I couldn't help but drool at the mere sight of her, even though Emmett didn't approve of such behaviour. Bella was wearing a beautiful strapless grey dress, that showed off her figure in a way that made me think of things I shouldn't mention to her. They were all positive, but not very gentlemanly. I couldn't take my eyes away from her, that's why I hadn't noticed the way Emmett and Jasper were staring at Bella, too.

"Wow." Emmett said.

"Gorgeous." Jasper chimed in.

"Hey!" I defended. I thought they knew I liked her a lot. "Don't think you'll get away with stealing her away from me. Alice is in on the plot." Their faces fell. I knew it. They wanted her too, but no one dared to stand up against Alice.

The three girls came to us. "Hey." Bella said, standing right in front of me.

"Hi." I replied, trying to keep my eyes directed at her face. She had a gorgeous face, don't get me wrong. She looked beautiful with her very shiny curls and her brown eyes. But still, I'm a man and couldn't help myself. Her dress showed off her amazing body and even though her face was the most beautiful face I've ever seen, I caught myself trying to stare at her body. "Wow, Bella. You look…" I tried to come up with a word that would describe her beauty. There were no words, honestly. "Absolutely stunning." She looked better than 'absolutely stunning', but like I said, there were no words that could describe her beauty. Oh, how I wish she were mine. Life would be so much better with her by my side.

"Thanks." She said, while blushing of course. "You look pretty good, yourself!" I thanked her, though I knew I looked average. Nothing compared to her. I hated it when Alice plays dress-up, but good things could come from that, apparently.

"I'm glad you're here." Bella told me. "I'm actually pretty nervous.." I smiled. Of course she'd be nervous, though I didn't know why. I knew my parents would love her, as would anybody else. She had met Rose, but I knew they hadn't really talked yet. But I was sure Rose would love her too. She could be pretty mean, but Rose was a great girl and she could be the nicest person you've ever met, if she wanted to.

I smiled at her. "Love, you have nothing to be nervous about. They'll love you." She gave me a weak smile. "Look, why don't I introduce you right now?"

Bella's eyes grew wide. "Like, right now?" She asked, even though she knew I meant right now _exactly_. I chuckled, but didn't let her stop me. I took her hand and led her to my parents.

"Carlisle. Esme. I'd like you to meet Bella. Bella, these are my parents, Carlisle and Esme." My parents looked at Bella and smiled. They greeted her and they could tell Bella was pretty nervous about meeting them.

Esme gave Bella a warm smile, to comfort her I suppose. "How wonderful to finally meet you, Bella. I've heard so much about you! Alice just _adores_ you." Bella blushed but smiled and thanked her. "I'm so happy you could make it to our small dinner party."

Bella laughed. "Well, of course. I'm honoured to be here." I knew she had Esme in the bag with that comment. Now Carlisle. "You have a great home and fantastic children." Bella continued. "And let Alice know that I love her, too." She said and added a wink. And that's Carlisle. He loved it when someone would loosen up and not take everything too seriously. I hated that a lot, myself. People should just act a little crazy sometimes. Life would be a lot more fun if everyone would.

"So Bella. Tell us something about yourself." Esme said. "What do you do, for instance?" Of course she was just making small-talk. I knew my parents would already approve of Bella. I had known that beforehand. There was something about her, that just made you love her, for some reason.

"Well.." Bella started. "I'm a waitress at Convivium, the restaurant and I'm still in college. I study Biology." Carlisle and Esme raised their eyebrows at the last remark. I had to hand it to her, it was pretty original to study Biology. My parents obviously thought so, too, since they asked her she made the decision to study Biology, of all things. To be honest, I was pretty curious, myself.

"Well," Bella started, looking magnificent, I noticed. She was absolutely gorgeous. How come she didn't have a boyfriend? She was even a little insecure, every once in a while. How could that have happened? Someone as beautiful as she is must be aware of it. Men must walk up to her all the time, asking her out, telling her how beautiful she is. If they didn't, well, that was just impossible. But then, how could she be this modest, this insecure? I had no idea. "See, I know Biology isn't something that's very popular, but I just love it. I fell in love with the subject in high school and I'm just fascinated by it. By the time high school was over, I didn't think I'd learned enough about the subject, so I decided to study it some more." She ended with an adorable smile.

My parents were satisfied with her answer, I could tell. They had already fallen in love with her, just like I have. But how could I let her know? I know I'm supposed to stick to Alice's plan, but how can I? I need to tell her how I feel, because I need to hear she loves me too. I need to hold her, kiss her and never let her go. But I couldn't do all those things if I had to stick to Alice's plan. And for how long would I have to? Alice had never said anything about time. Maybe now I could… No! I couldn't. Yes, I wanted, no, _needed_ Bella. But something inside of me told me that if I stop following the plan, I'll never be with her. I might scare her off, or something like that. And I wouldn't that, would I?

Suddenly, the doors to the dining room opened. "Dinner's ready." Esme said and gestured for us to follow her. I offered Bella my arm –manners were mandatory at these dinner parties- and I guided her to the dining room. Fortunately, my mother had seated us next to each other, probably Alice's influence, so I could talk to her all night long.

Oh yes. Dinner would be rather interesting with her by my side.

* * *

**And that's it. You're already done with this chapter. ;) Please let me know what you think! :) I loved hearing your previous suggestions. ;) **

**Xx,  
Me.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone! Did you all have a GREAT week? That's right, week? Because if I'm correct, I've updated in a week! Gosh, I guess I didn't even see that coming myself. Did you? Well, maybe, because the chapter was already done, but still. On that note, I might add that the next chapter is done as well and that I'm working on the one after that. So next chapter could be up next week, too. **

**I found out that there are a LOT of people who read this story without reviewing and that made me happy. I thought there might be a few other people reading this besides the reviewers, but it turns out there are a lot. So thank you all for reading this one, I appreciate all the readers and reviewers. **

**Thanks to barbiedoll123 for reading this story and reviewing at almost every chapter. :) I loved seeing your responses to the old chapters I've written. To Popsicle21 I ask you; Was this fast enough for you to not hunt me down? ;) If you decide to hunt me down anyway, you should wait a while before eating me, so we could go out for drinks or something. That'd be fun, wouldn't it? **

**Anyways, I won't keep you waiting any longer, even though it's pretty fast updating for me.. See you at the end!**

* * *

BPOV

I'm totally impressed. Edward was such a gentleman, who would have guessed that? I know I wouldn't and Tanya wouldn't, either. He introduced me to his parents, which was kindly meant, but pretty scary. (I mean, meeting your boyfriend's parents is a pretty big deal. And fine, technically he wasn't my boyfriend, but still. It seemed like a pretty big deal to me.) Also, he offered me his arm, when his mother announced that dinner was ready. He even pulled my chair back, you know? Honestly, only guys in movies do stuff like that, but apparently, Edward did those as well. His parents had raised him well.

Edward sat down on the chair next to mine. First, I was flattered, because he chose me to sit with – me of all people! – but then later I found out that he was supposed to sit there and that there hadn't been a choice. Oh well, I still wasn't complaining. Edward was sitting right there next to me and that was all that mattered.

Emmett sat down on the chair to my left. I hadn't really talked to him yet, except for the night I met him at the club. But Emmett seemed like a pretty cool guy, like a giant teddy bear. He grinned at me. "Hey, there, Bella. How's it going?" Yeah, like I said, a pretty cool guy.

I smiled back at him. "Hi Emmett." I responded. "I'm fine, thanks. How 'bout you?" Emmett's hair was pretty curly, which made him look even more like a teddy bear. It was so adorable. Not that he was anywhere near as handsome as Edward, but you know, he was a close second. Actually, second place was a tie, since Jasper looked pretty good, too. I glanced around the table to see where Jasper sat. I found him, sitting next to Alice. Yeah, definitely a tie. Wow, they were three pretty good-looking guys. If the three of them are together, girls must drool at the sight of them.

"I'm good, too." Emmett answered. "These dinner parties are always so boring. I'm glad you're here, it'll make dinner a little more interesting." He said and added a wink. I laughed and protested that there was nothing interesting about me, but then Edward took Emmett's side and told me all these things about me that they apparently thought that was interesting. They seemed pretty boring to me, though. But hey, if two drop-dead-gorgeous men tell you that you're interesting, you just can't complain.

"Aw, see?!" Emmett said. "You're already interesting. Look at the blush on your face!" He laughed. "Seriously? We make you blush?" Of course, that comment made me blush even harder. I wasn't used to compliments, so I couldn't take a compliment gracefully. I wish I could, like Tanya. Whenever someone complimented her, she just flashed them a gorgeous smile and offered a polite 'thanks'. But me? No, I blush. Big time. And apparently, it's pretty funny to look at. Not that I would know, of course. But Emmett's booming laugh made that pretty obvious, didn't it?

And Edward just sat there, smiling and keeping quiet. Oh, now he dropped the gentleman act? Now that I needed him, he was just keeping his help to himself. Thanks a lot, Edward. Of course, I didn't say any of these words, I just kept them to myself, as well.

Luckily, Carlisle picked that moment to stand up and give an opening speech. "Thank you everyone, for coming to this small dinner party. Esme and I are delighted that you all took the trouble of coming here." I looked around. He was so modest. I think people would go through a lot to get here, it seemed like a social event. If this were high school, only the cool kids would be invited. This seemed like a big deal, even though they obviously didn't think so. "And now, all there is left to say is; enjoy your meal." People clapped and Carlisle smiled while sitting down again. I could see where Edward got his charm; his parents were the most charming people I've met. And they're kind, too. I was extremely nervous about meeting them today, but while I was talking to them, it passed. I felt comfortable talking to them.

"So," Edward said, "are you still nervous? Or has that passed?" He smiled, I knew he was mocking me. He had told me that I shouldn't be nervous about anything and he was right. I shouldn't have been nervous. But how could I have known that his parents were that nice? And I didn't know Edward would be right by my side throughout the entire dinner. I had thought about the fact that I could be on my own during the evening. That would have been bad.

I glared at him, but we both knew I didn't mean it. I couldn't be mad tonight. It was a wonderful evening already and it had just started. "No, I'm not nervous anymore." He seemed satisfied. "That's good for you, though. If I would suffer the entire night, I expected you to protect me. " I said and added a wink to let him know I wasn't serious.

Edward faked a shocked face. "Me? Protect you?" I nodded. "Well, I'm sorry miss Swan, but I believe you're perfectly able to take care of yourself." I tried so hard not to blush again, but did not succeed. Lucky for me, Emmett didn't see it, or he would have made a few jokes about it. But apparently, Edward couldn't resist either. "Ah, blushing again? Honestly, I can't say anything to you without you blushing, now can I?"

"Well, you could. But you choose not to." I retorted. There, he deserved that one. Okay, it wasn't really insulting, but he should know that I don't appreciate being made fun of. Even though it's not that bad when Edward does. Because Edward has to be with me, to make fun of me. I'd rather be with Edward and being made fun of, than be without Edward and not being made fun of. It was as simple as that!

"Touché." Was Edward's mere reply. Nothing more, nothing less. He just took his spoon and started eating his mushroom soup. I looked how his lips touched his spoon, how they enclosed it and how he downed the soup. There was something mesmerizing about the way he ate. About him, actually. For some reason everything he did caught my attention and held it. "Mm." He said, his deep voice being the reason for this tickling feeling in my stomach. "This is some good soup." I stared at my untouched food. Oh right, you were supposed to eat at dinner. "Try it." Edward encouraged me. So I took my spoon and tried some of the mushroom soup.

Sensational. It tasted absolutely delicious. Hands down the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. "Wow." I said after I had swallowed my soup. "That's fantastic."

Edward gave me a smug smile. "Told you." He said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and ate some more soup. Oh, how I wish I would eat like this every night. But unfortunately, that wasn't true. I decided right then and there that I should enjoy this moment. I was eating some great food and there was an extremely handsome man sitting right there next to me, even talking to me! I must be the luckiest girl alive. "And this is only the appetizer. Just you wait for the main course." Edward mentioned casually.

My eyes grew big. "Appetizer? Main course? You mean this is a three-course-meal?" I've never been to such a dinner. I've never been nowhere near this fancy and this was supposed to be a 'small' dinner party. Yeah, right.

Edward chuckled. "No, silly." I breathed a sigh of relief. Not that it wouldn't be fun, but I would have no idea how to behave. "It's a five-course-meal." My mouth dropped open. Normally I would have thought he was teasing me, but his facial expression was completely serious. I knew he wasn't kidding. Five courses? Oh dear lord. I realized Alice hadn't prepared me well enough. But then, if I'd have known it would be this fancy maybe I wouldn't have come at all. It was probable Alice knew about that and that's why she hadn't told me. But still.. How was I expected to behave? I couldn't believe Edward could be that casual about it. But then again, he grew up with the people who hosted this, he's probably been to a ton of these things.

"Oh my god. You're kidding." I said, even though I had already established he wasn't kidding. "Oh my… What am I supposed to do now? Maybe I could sneak out or… no, I can't do that, I've already talked to your parents.. But… How am I supposed to behave? Edward help me!"

I looked at Edward to find him trying to hide his laughter, unsuccessfully. "Would you calm down, Bella?" He said in a voice that was meant to be calming, but didn't work on me, because his voice only made me more nervous. "You have nothing to be worried about. You did great just a while ago, when you were talking to my parents." He told me. "So why are you freaking out now?"

Good question. I had absolutely no idea. "I don't know." I answered, honestly. It was just the thought that I was invited to something that big of a deal.. it had never happened to me before. I'm just this simple girl from a small town. My life was always okay, but nothing extraordinary ever happened. And I was fine with that. I really was. Except… Except now I couldn't be anymore. Edward had come into my life and I knew now that I wanted more out of life. I wanted more and I deserved more. At least, I think I do.

"Well," Edward said. "please try to calm down. Like I said before; you have absolutely nothing to be worried about. So just relax and have a little fun while you're here." I smiled, even though his voice made me weak in the knees, he did find a way to calm me down. I guess I needed that right now. "Besides." Edward added. "You're sitting next to me for the whole night. I wouldn't like to have you sit there all worried so you won't talk to me. I won't survive this dinner without you, you know." Aah, that was so sweet. It almost sounded as if he needed me. Almost.

"Okay." I said. "I get it. I'll calm down. Don't worry." He winked and we both fell silent for a minute, enjoying our dinner. Slowly, everyone finished their soup and a few waiters got everyone's plate and brought them to the kitchen. I'm not joking; waiters. So we were waiting for the second course now. Emmett turned around from his conversation with Rosalie.

"Hi Bells. Did you enjoy your soup?" He asked with his big, goofy smile. I told him that I did, that I thought it was delicious. "Yeah, it's pretty good." He admitted. "I hate these dinners though. I wish it was over already, but you know, they're always so slow.." He complained. They weren't slow to me! They were actually pretty exciting. Yeah, like I hadn't mentioned _that_ before. I wasn't going to tell Emmett, though. He would only make fun of it.

"Yeah.." was all I said. Though I didn't agree with him. I heard Edward chuckling. I think he knew I was lying. He had just tried to calm me down, because I was so excited over the fact that I was invited to such a dinner party and now he heard me complaining along with Emmett that this was so boring. I wouldn't buy it either..

"You know.." Edward told Emmett. Oh no. Please don't. "Bella has never been to a five-course-dinner party." He said in a mocking voice. Like I was a 7-year old. Oh please no.

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Really?" He asked, sounding intrigued. "Well then, you probably don't know that before every course, someone has to make a speech…" Oh no.. I did _not_ like where this was going.

"Um.. No. I didn't know that, actually." I said, pretty scared of what was coming next.

"Well then." Emmett said. "It's a good thing we told you. Otherwise you'd be pretty surprised, wouldn't you? If someone got op every ten seconds to make a speech. They're always pretty boring, though. I wish someone fun could make a speech for once." Edward and Emmett were eyeing me with amused expressions. Nuh-uh. No way was I going to make a speech. Not in a million years. They couldn't make me.

The sound of a spoon ticking a glass caused a silence in the room. Oh no. No speeches. Please, do _not_ mention me. "Bella would like to make a speech, now." Emmett's voice filled the silence, but everyone's gaze was pointed at me. He was so dead. Actually, I wasn't too sure if I could kill him, because I was about to go social suicide on myself. I didn't know if I would have the energy to kill him, or hire someone to it for me.

I got up, slowly, an anxious smile on my face. "Um, hi everyone." I couldn't do this. I honestly couldn't. I could feel Edward's eyes burning in my back. I did _not_ want to embarrass myself in front of him. I couldn't. "I'm Bella Swan." I thought I'd mention my name, since no one in the room even knew me. I bet Edward's parents are so ashamed right now. "Um, I guess, all I want to say is that I'm honoured to be here. I'd like to thank Mr. And Mrs Cullen for having me and um, I guess I want to wish everyone a good evening and a happy summer." I smiled at the room and raised my glass. Thank god a few people followed my example, Edward and Emmett among them. "To a good summer." I said. The entire room repeated after me and raised their glass.

I sat back down, glad I had that behind me. "Emmett, you are _so_ dead." I whispered, so that only Emmett and Edward could hear me. To Edward I said: "Thanks for helping me back there, by the way. That felt good."

Edward grinned. "I'm sorry. But if Emmett sets his mind to something, he doesn't quit until he gets what he wants." Edward mentioned. "He's kind of like Alice, that way." I grinned, yes, Alice seemed like that type of person. "Besides, you handled it pretty well." He continued. "It didn't seem as if you actually _needed_ me, anyway. I thanked him, even though I didn't agree with him.

The second course was served. I didn't know what it was, but it tasted delicious. "Edward," Some male voice said. I looked up to see who was talking to Edward, but it was some old guy I didn't know, which was no surprise, since I hardly knew anyone here. "tell me son, do you still play the piano?" Piano? Oh right! He had mentioned that to me before, that he had played the piano for a living, before he studied to become a doctor.

Edward shook his head. "Not professionally, no. But I do like to play the piano on my own time." Oh, and how I'd love to hear him play the piano. It seemed so romantic, in a way. I could already picture the two of us. I would be sitting on the piano, while he played a song he wrote for me. Gosh, that seemed wonderful. Too bad it would never happen.

The man nodded. "Aha. Well, that's too bad. I would have loved to go to one of your concerts again." Concerts? Edward used to do concerts? "Though the tickets were quite expensive, let me tell you that. You must have made quite a lot of money those days."

Edward grinned sheepishly. "I did, sir. But I realized I would rather do it without the money. It was too much for me, I'd like to live a simple life." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Edward quit playing the piano because he was making too _much_ money? Why didn't he tell me? I remembered myself telling him how he must have quit because he didn't make enough money. Now I heard that he made more than enough. "So I decided to quit and now I'm studying to become a doctor." The man looked impressed, as you should be. A professional piano player who quit because he was making too much money and then decided to become a doctor. That was pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Edward turned around and started eating his food again. As if nothing happened. He pretended he didn't see me staring at him, waiting for an explanation. Because I _was_ waiting for one. "What?" Edward asked after a while. I guess my staring at him must have freaked him out. "What did I do now?"

I raised my eyebrows and gave him a look that said 'isn't it obvious?' Apparently, it wasn't obvious to him. So I explained myself. "Why didn't you tell me about all that? The professional piano playing and stuff. I didn't know! Why didn't you say anything?"

Edward looked at me. "I did." He said. "Remember? That first night we met, at the club. You asked me while we were dancing and I told you." He was right. Wow, I can't believe he remembered all of that. That was exactly how it had happened. That still didn't help, though. I didn't know what I wanted to know.

"Yeah, I remember that." I said. "And I knew that you had played the piano. But the concerts? The expensive tickets and you making quite a lot of money? I didn't know about all of that. Why didn't you tell me?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It never came up." I rolled my eyes. Great excuse. "Look, I'm sorry." He said. "Can I make it up to you by playing you a little bit of piano, after dinner?" My eyes grew big. That was exactly what I had wanted! How did he know? I nodded, trying not to show how enthusiastic I _really_ was. I couldn't wait for dinner to be over.

* * *

**Some of you might have been wondering what happened to Edward's piano playing, well; there it is. Yes, the pianoplaying is in the next chapter. Personally, I always wait for the piano in a story. That's always such a romantic part. I just hope mine is romantic too, even though I know it's not as good as other stories, I'm satisfied with it.**

**Also; someone asked me if Rosalie was already nice to Bella and if they were already friends. Let me straighten this out for you; Rosalie and Bella have met, but hadn't really gotten to know each other. But Rose isn't so bad in this one, so she's acting nice to Bella. **

**Please let me know what all of you think; I'm dying to find out!  
**

**Lots of love,  
me**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone? Guess who's back?**

**Me, that's who. A little later than I had planned though. I had wanted to update on Friday, but FF was acting a little weird, so I couldn't update any of my documents. Saturday and Sunday it wouldn't work either, but today it did. Hurray for Mondays! **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter; I enjoy them all and it's the highlight of my day to read them. :) Apparently, me and popsicle21 are going out for drinks. Anyone else who wants to join us? ;] **

**I guess there's nothing left two say, except for 'this isn't mine; I do not own Twilight.'**

**SEE YOU AT THE END! **

* * *

EPOV

After Bella's speech dinner passed quite quickly. I enjoyed myself by talking to Bella, observing her every move. I hoped she didn't know I was watching her so closely. I bet it would make her blush even more. Oh, that cute blush on her face. It was so adorable. I would give anything to see her blush again. Wow, I guess I really _am_ a psycho.

A few men had given a speech, but no speech was as good as Bella's in my opinion. They were all talking about how great business was going and they kept on toasting to good business and stuff like that. I'd liked Bella's toast better; a good summer. That was exactly what I had wanted. I remember planning European trips with my friends, but then my siblings had interrupted them. They told me we were going to Alaska to visit our parents and I couldn't discuss it. Plans had already been made (never mind _my own_ plans to Europe) and tickets had been booked. I had liked the prospect of seeing my parents again, but a whole summer in Alaska? No, I did not look forward to that.

But then I had met Bella. Beautiful, smart, funny Bella. And just like that, I hadn't minded being stuck in Alaska for a while. We had a couple of weeks to go and I would make sure I'd use them well. I wanted to make Bella mine before the end of the summer, or I'd never see her again. It sounded a little dramatic, but it could be true. We lived far apart and I hardly ever went to Alaska to visit my parents. The next time I'd see her, she'd be in the arms of some other guy. The thought of that somehow made me… mad? Huh, I guess I was jealous for the first time. That was something I've never experienced. I didn't exactly like it, being jealous.

Dinner was almost over; all we had left was dessert. Some man got up, deciding he'd like to give a speech now. I didn't even try to listen to it. My gaze was focused at Bella. She didn't know I was looking at her, of course. She was listening to the speech. It wasn't interesting to me. I didn't get why it would be interesting to her, but I guess she thought this entire dinner was pretty fun. And sure, if you never go to one of these dinner things, I can imagine Carlisle and Esme's making quite an impression. Me and my siblings, however, had gone to tons of these and they were really not fun anymore. They were pretty boring.

The waiters served dessert, which was some fancy looking ice cream. My eyes hadn't left Bella and when the man finished her speech, she finally noticed me looking at her. "What?" She asked, that cute blush appearing on her face again.

I smiled and shrugged. "Nothing." Except for the fact that I was looking at the most beautiful girl I've ever met, that she was having dinner with me. I was feeling pretty lucky about all of that, when Emmett decided to talk to Bella again. I loved my brother, I really did, but did he have to steal Bella away from me all the time? Okay, he wasn't really stealing her away, since she wasn't mine and really, all he did was talk to her a little every once in a while. But still, it felt like stealing. Instead of trying to mix myself into the conversation, like I had done before (and which lead to Bella giving a speech) I just continued to stare at Bella and look at her beauty.

I figured I might as well eat some ice cream while I wasn't talking to Bella, anyway. It tasted good, like everything else we had during dinner. The perfect ending for tonight. Well, for the rest of the guests anyway. After dinner they would soon go home, but I knew Bella would stay for a while, even though Bella didn't know. I had promised to play the piano for her and I figured I should play her the song that she inspired. She didn't have to know I wrote it for her. I would tell her later, when she was my girlfriend.

Oh my god, did I just say _when_? I was really getting ahead of myself.

Anyway, later, when we had had our emotional moment (I didn't know for sure that would happen, but I sure hoped it would..) Alice would comment on how late it was and that Bella couldn't possibly go home now, so she would have to sleep here. Alice had planned a lot of things, but this was the only thing I knew of. It sounded pretty stupid, but I loved the prospect of sharing even more time with Bella.

When dessert was done, too. Esme got up to give the final speech. Carlisle always started and Esme always ended. "Again," She said. "I would like to thank everyone so much for coming. It has been an honor to have you all here and I hope you have experienced it the same way." She smiled at her guests and they laughed – modestly – about her small joke. "Originally, I had wanted to toast to a good summer, but I'm afraid someone has beaten me to it." Everyone laughed, including myself, and Esme winked at Bella. "So I will toast to a good ending, for we all hope to find one." Esme stared directly at me and Bella while she said this. I couldn't hide anything from her, now could I? I hadn't said a word and she already knew what was going on. "To a good ending." She said, while raising her glass. The room followed and repeated her words before taking another sip from their drinks.

The first people got up, including Esme and Carlisle to let everyone out of the house and wish everyone a good night. Me and Bella stayed in the dining room for a while. "Did you like it?" I asked. "I know it's pretty boring, but I can assure you that this was one of the better ones."

Bella laughed. "No, it wasn't boring at all! I enjoyed myself, don't worry about that." She winked at me, something I wasn't used to from her. She laughed a little again, about my astonishment this time. "Thanks again for having me." She added.

I told her it was no problem, because it really hadn't been. Then she asked me if I would play her some music now. Ah, I'd almost thought she'd forgotten. I helped her get up and lead her to the music room, where a beautiful, grand piano stood in the middle of the room.

"I'm already liking this." Bella said with a smile, while she was taking in the grandeur of the room. I suppose it looked impressive, though not to me anymore. I've been here every day for years, practicing my music. Besides, there was something even more beautiful in the room, and she was holding my hand. "The room has already impressed me big time, so your piano playing only has to be adequate." She winked and we both laughed.

My piano playing was far from 'adequate', but I suppose Bella didn't know about that. The truth is, I didn't think playing the piano was that hard. I think everyone could go as far as I had, you just had to really want it and practice a couple of hours every day. And I _had_ gone far. I had been lucky enough to go to lots of different places. But after a few years, I didn't like the travelling anymore. I started to hate it and when that happens, you know it's not worth it anymore. I didn't love doing concerts as much as I had done. I had thought someone else deserved it more than I did, so I quit. Did I miss it? Sometimes, when school got really hard. But I realized something had been missing from my life and now that I was standing here with Bella, I knew exactly what I had missed.

I guided Bella to the piano and seated her next to me on the piano bar. I smiled at her, before beginning with the piece I had written for her, because she had inspired it. It was one of my better pieces and I started losing myself in the music, like I always had done. No one else in the world existed, except for me and Bella and the music.

I hit the last note and waited a while in silence, before turning to Bella. Tears were streaming over her cheeks. I hadn't even noticed her tears before, I had been so focused on the music. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked her. My hands held her face and my thumbs wiped away her tears. Bella nodded, even though she didn't look okay. "What's the matter?" I asked her, trying to use a calming, yet seducing voice. It didn't work. Now I sounded like some scary paedophile. Well, I thought so anyway. Bella didn't scream and run away, so I suppose it hadn't sounded _that_ scary to her.

Bella's lips parted, making them look even more appealing. But I couldn't! I couldn't kiss her. I tried to talk to myself out of closing the distance between her lips and mine, because that was certainly not Alice's plan. "The song." Bella said, finally breaking the silence and making me less focussed on her lips; now I was gazing into her eyes. "It was just so… so…" Oh please, let it be positive. I couldn't bear hearing that my music sucked. It didn't mean the world to me anymore, but it was still an important part of my life and I couldn't live without it. Well, I could, if I had Bella, but it would be extremely difficult. Still, I'd do it for Bella. "Beautiful." She said, making me sigh in relief.

"You liked it?" I checked, smiling at her, now that I knew she wasn't negative. After all, she _had_ inspired the song. If she hadn't even liked her own song, how would she feel about the rest of my pieces? I'm guessing she wouldn't really appreciate them.

Bella shook her head. Oh no, don't say one thing and then change your mind. She had already said she had liked it, she couldn't change her mind now, could she? "No." She said. I winced at her words. "I loved it. I'm absolutely in love with it." Did she mean that? Honestly, I didn't get her at all. I guess she noticed I didn't believe her, since she added: "No really, I am! You're a genius. Did you write that yourself?"

I nodded. "Yes. This is my latest piece." I said, looking at her, hoping she'd get the hint, but unfortunately, she didn't. I couldn't tell her she inspired it yet. I had to wait. First, I had to make her trust me, then love me, then make her mine. Well, according to Alice, anyway.

"It's fantastic." She said. "I can understand why people visited your concerts. I wish I had done so." I smiled. I'd be willing to give her a thousand concerts, if she wanted to. I'd do anything for her. "Can you play me some more?" She asked me. I chuckled and said I would. So I played her another one of my favourites, which was pretty slow and romantic.

"Honestly." She said when I finished the second song. "I wish I'd heard of you sooner." She winked at me, which made me laugh. Yes, I wish I'd heard of her sooner, too.

BPOV

I decided I would look for his album the next day. I didn't even know for sure if he _had_ one, but I would find it if he did. His music was beautiful and it touched me deep inside. Something about it had just appealed to me. Especially the first song. Somehow, it seemed exactly how I felt every day. I didn't know why, but I loved it. And the second song too, it was so romantic. I had never known that music without words could portrait a feeling so well.

My eyes glanced around and found a clock. "Wow." I said. "It's pretty late.. I think I should go home now.. Tanya will be waiting for me." She wasn't. I know I should feel bad for using my best friend as an excuse, but I really thought I should go, or else I might do some crazy things, like kiss Edward. But of course, as I thought about that, I realised I really wanted to kiss Edward and now I couldn't stop thinking about pressing my lips against his. Would he protest? Would he kiss me back? These questions were now haunting me and I was dying to find out what would happen if I closed the small distance between us.

Edward had looked a bit disappointed when I told him I had to leave, but only for a second, then a smile appeared on his face again. Okay, maybe he hadn't _actually_ looked disappointed and I was using my imagination. Right now, I didn't know for sure. "Really?" He asked with a crooked grin. "Tanya's worrying about you, huh?" I noticed the sarcasm in his voice, but I didn't comment on it. We both knew she wouldn't be worrying about me. She was probably out to party. "Well then, I suppose we must get you home.." I gave him a faint smile. I realised I didn't want to go home. I wanted to stay here, with him. But as I've said before, if I were to stay, I would do some crazy things Tanya would probably never forgive me for.

"I suppose we must." I answered him and I slowly got up from the piano bench. I had loved Edward's music, but I needed to let him go. I couldn't do that to Tanya, could I? But he _did_ tell me that he hadn't wanted Tanya, that he wanted me. Would he still have me? I hoped he would. But no! I couldn't do that to my best friend..

Edward took my hand and lead me outside the room again. I felt a stabbing pain when we left it, because it had seemed to me as if time stood still while we were in there. That the entire world had stopped turning. That there was only Edward and me. Wow, I'd love it for that to be true.

Edward brought me to Alice. "Alice," He said. "Bella here is thinking about going home. She says Tanya will be worrying about her." Again, I noticed the sarcasm. I also noticed the tiny smile that appeared on Alice's face, before she could straighten her face again. I didn't mention any of those things, though. I thought it best to let those slide. All I wanted to do is get out of here, so I could think straight again. Think about what I should do.

Alice wouldn't have it, though. "Oh, you can't go home anymore! It's way too late now. You should sleep here." I protested, using the Tanya card again. "Honestly Bella, we both know Tanya couldn't care less and besides, she wouldn't even find out. She's probably at some club right now and if you're lucky, she won't come home at all tonight." Though that was probably true, it kind of hurt when Alice said it. Hearing that your best friend doesn't care about you, well… that just stings.

"Alice, I couldn't possibly stay here." I protested again. "I have a perfectly fine apartment a few blocks away and besides, I wouldn't like to burden you."

I shouldn't have said that. I knew I shouldn't. The minute those words came out of my mouth I had regretted them. Not that they weren't true, oh no. They were most definitely true. But I just knew at that moment that I had given Alice the argument she needed. "Bella," She said. Oh here it comes. "You won't be a burden to us, you could never be!" and there it was. Of course you couldn't say no after someone had complimented you like that.

"Well…" I started, unsure of what to say now. "If you're really sure.." Alice squealed, but I hadn't lost yet. I had one more argument to go. "But Alice, I don't have any clothes here. I couldn't wear this tomorrow, remember? You told me you could never ever wear the same clothes two days in a row…" Ha! I had her there and she knew it!

Unfortunately, Alice didn't know I had her. After what she said next, I wasn't so sure either, in fact, I was pretty sure I had lost. "Oh, don't worry about that." Alice said. "Me and Rose have got tons of clothes and I'm sure we'll find some gorgeous couture that'll fit you." Damn. Not only would I have to stay here and sleep in the same house as Edward, I would also be required to wear couture.

"What about pyjamas?" I asked her, in a final attempt to make her change her mind. But I couldn't. Alice dragged me upstairs and gave me this super cute pair; cute, tiny shorts and a read camisole. I guess I had lost.

"Oh, Bella, this is going to be so much fun!" Alice squealed while I was putting on my borrowed pyjamas. Alice put on hers too. Rose walked in on us changing, wearing a cute and sexy nightgown. The two of them looked hot, even though they were wearing their pyjamas. Honestly, that wasn't fair.

"Ready for movie night?" Alice asked, but didn't wait for a reply. She dragged me downstairs, where the boys had already set up everything for a movie night. There were pillows on the floor, popcorn on the table and three sexy men. They were all wearing their pyjama pants, but no shirt. I liked this look on Edward. Shirtless, mm.

Somehow, me and Edward ended up on the couch, while the other four ended up on the floor. No body even tried to listen to my protests. So I guess I was stuck on the couch.

Edward put his arm around me and pulled me a little closer to him. "Are you ready for a scary movie?" He asked me with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, yeah." I told him. "Bring it on."

* * *

**Told you I would meet you here, now didn't I? And here I am, again. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I loved writing it, like I love to write every chapter.**

**Next chapter's nearly done, all I need is to round it up, but it should be done by Friday. If not, I'll update as soon as possible, because you never know when Fanfiction's letting you down again, now do you?**

**Please let me know what you think; I love to hear your reactions. And I've got a question for you all;**

**"What would you toast for?" - I'd love to know, because I needed to write a few small speeches. :)**

**Can't wait for your response!**

**With love,**

**Me. xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi my sweet, sweet, loyal readers! How have you all been? I must say; I missed each and every one of you. Yes, I truly did. I'm glad to see everyone reunited, don't you think so? I brought with me the new chapter. ;]**

**It's a little late, which was stupid, because it was done already. I just forgot, I suppose. Sorry, my bad!**

**Thanks to everyone who gave me such a sweet review; they make my day, don't forget! (: I'm working on the next chapter, but I don't have it finished yet. School is crazy. Sorry. But I'll try to have it done by next week. I'll try my best. I really want to finish this story soon, so I don't think there will be a lot of chapters left. A few, maybe. Maybe I could do it in three, maybe six, I don't know yet. But I DO know it's coming to an end soon. After that, I want to work on one of my other two unfinished stories. More about that on the bottom. **

* * *

BPOV

Honestly, the movie wasn't _that_ scary. And yet, Alice and Rose screamed as if their lives depended on it. Sure, I had been scared every now and then, but I wouldn't scream. I would let out a tiny squeak, but it would only last for a second. I thought they were screaming for fun at first. But then later on, I kept hearing their screams, so I supposed they were really scared. Jasper and Emmett didn't mind, though. All they did was grin and put their arms around them.

Edward still had his arm placed around my shoulder since he had put it there in the beginning. At first, I thought it was a little strange, but after a while I relaxed a bit and I got used to his arm being there. In fact, I was rather starting to like the feeling of his constant touch. How could I ever let it go after tonight? The movie was already halfway through, so I only had about an hour to go. Bummer.

A blonde girl appeared in the screen and for a few seconds I thought of Tanya and about how mad and jealous she would be. But I pushed the thought out of my mind. I'd deal with that later. Right now, I should focus on the movie, spending time with my new friends and of course, Edward. I didn't know what to do. Should I enjoy every second I spent with him now, because I wouldn't be able to, later? Or should I stop spending time with him, because I would miss him so much when he'd go away? The latter seemed the smartest thing to do, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I chose option number one and I'd deal with the consequences in the future. But, if I was going to hurt myself over a guy, I might as well do it good. I mean, I could tell Edward I liked him and maybe he'd still want me. We could go out for the summer and enjoy each other's company even more and in ways that we wouldn't do with everyone.

But I just couldn't do that to Tanya. Maybe if I'd ask her, she'd be okay with it. Maybe. But no, I knew she wouldn't be. If it were any other guy, she wouldn't mind, I'm sure. But this was Edward and I knew she had really liked him. But then again; so did I! And did she ever ask me if I might want him? No, she didn't, thank you very much.

Alice and Rose screamed again, and I pretended I was scared, too, so that Edward would press me a little closer to him. I enjoyed his warmth and his strong muscles against my skin. I hadn't even paid attention to the movie, so I had no idea what was happening, but I loved the feeling of Edward comforting me. I could get used to this.

Okay, I decided I really liked Edward. I liked him more than I had ever liked anyone! I loved Tanya, I really did, but I decided I needed to talk with her. I didn't like to hurt her, but I felt like I needed to now. Because even though Edward would leave at the end of the summer, I couldn't just let him go like that, wondering what could have been for the rest of my life. So I needed to talk to two people; Edward and Tanya. First, I'd talk to Edward, ask him how he felt, if he still wanted me. If he did, great! Then I would have to talk to Tanya and see how she felt. If he didn't want me anymore, then fine. I'd try to get over him and I wouldn't need to talk to Tanya.

I didn't like the idea of talking to either one of them, but I needed to. I needed to know what could happen, because I would regret it for the rest of my life if I wouldn't. And if Tanya wouldn't let me date Edward, I might still do it. I loved her and I wanted her as my friend, but I also wanted to try to be happy for a change. Really happy. I had been okay with my life so far, but I realized I had never been more happy than right now, sitting next to Edward. I couldn't even think about the happiness it would give me if I'd make out with Edward! What joy could that bring me!

What I really needed right now, was to stop thinking about kissing Edward. That was just a dream right now and maybe, hopefully, it could become reality one day. But I'd worry about that later. I wanted to enjoy the moment now and stop thinking about everything that I wanted or needed to do.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Edward asked me, whispering into my ear with his smooth voice. A chill ran down my spine. His voice was without a doubt the sexiest voice a man could ever have. Why did he _do_ this to me? "You seem a little tensed."

I nodded. "I'm fine." I whispered back. I _was_ fine. I was just a little nervous about talking to Edward and Tanya. Would I be able to talk to Edward tonight? After I had felt his arms around me, I didn't want to put it off much longer. I needed to know how he felt about me.

Oh, there I go again with the needing. Stop it Bella!

I tried to focus on the movie again and I succeeded. Eventually. So now, when Alice and Rose screamed, I know what is was about and joined in on their screaming, which resulted to Edwards arms pulling me tighter to him every time. Every girl would've done the same, I'm sure. It was just an extra plus that Edward was shirtless and I could feel all his muscles.

By the time the movie ended, I was pretty excited, because Edward was holding me close to him, with his arms around me. I guess I was pretty thankful to Alice that she made me look good the entire night, even while wearing pyjamas. And I'm pretty thankful that I shaved my legs, because Edward's were slightly touching mine.

After a final drink for the night, the six of us went to bed. Me and Rose slept in Alice's room and the boys slept in Emmett's room. Edward's room wasn't used now, but he didn't want to be the only one to sleep alone, so he decided to join the 'boys night' going on in Emmett's room.

Me, Alice and Rose were talking a bit before going to sleep. It was already pretty late, but I wasn't tired, anyway, so I enjoyed the time spent with the girls. They were great! And Rosalie was really nice.

"So Bella." Rose said. "You've _got_ to tell me what's going on between you and Edward!" She said, looking pretty curious. Alice looked at me with curious eyes now, too. "I mean, didn't he date your best friend?" Ow, wrong words to say to me right now. It only made me feel guilty again and I could see that Alice disapproved of Rosalie's words, too, since she glared at her, before looking at me again.

I nodded. "Yeah, he sort of dated Tanya." I answered her, realising she was actually waiting for me to tell something about my own relationship with Edward. But what would I say? There wasn't exactly happening something between me and him. I liked him a lot, yes, but we weren't dating. "But me and Edward?" I told her. "There's nothing going on." That was the truth. I just didn't tell her I didn't like that truth.

"But you said he dated Tanya," Alice said. Oh, please don't go on about that, I didn't really want to talk about it. It reminded me of the talks I needed to have with Edward and Tanya. "But he didn't really like her, did he?" She asked. "He never really tells us anything about his love life, so I was wondering if maybe you know something?"

Oh god. "No." I lied. "I don't know anything. From his side, at least. I know Tanya liked him a lot, but I don't know how he felt about her.."

I looked at Alice's face, which gave me a sceptic look. "Bella." She told me. "You're lying. You're not a very good liar, I might add." I blushed and looked apologetic. "Now, tell me how he felt about her! I honestly want to know why he dated that…girl." She finished the last word as if she didn't know for sure what Tanya really was.

"Well…" I told them, deciding what I could tell and what not. Edward had trusted me and I don't think he would appreciate it if I told Alice and Rose everything he had said. "You guys can't let him know I told you this, but he didn't exactly like her, even though Tanya was half in love with him. That's why he broke up with her, I guess. So he wouldn't hurt her feelings anymore." Before I let Alice speak again, I felt the urge to defend Tanya. "And really, Tanya isn't so bad. I know a lot of girls don't like her, but you should get to know her better. She really is a sweet girl, but she just wanted to impress Edward. I know, she didn't do a very good job, but she _wanted_ to." I finished. There, now I had defended my best friend against my new friends. I liked both of them and I didn't like them trashing each other, even though I sometimes wanted to kill Tanya, too. Like the night she stole Edward away from me.

That's right. I decided to call it stealing, since Edward had fessed up to me that he wanted me, not Tanya. So she did, in fact, steal him. Though mostly (I was afraid to admit it) it had been my fault. Yes, I admit it. It was all my fault. If I hadn't given up on Edward the moment Tanya headed for us, I would have been with him by now. There hadn't been this whole thing with Tanya and he would've just asked me out and I would've said yes. On the date we'd discover how much we had in common and it wouldn't take long before he would introduce me to his family as his girlfriend. It could've been that simple. Instead, I decided to walk away when I saw Tanya, throwing Edward into her arms, and now I've caused a lot of drama, because I was in love with my best friend's ex.

Oh my god. Did I just say in love? I guess I did. I'm in love with him. I'm in love with Edward. I. Love. Edward.

Oh lord, what should I do now? Should I tell him I love him? That'd be weird, wouldn't it? 'Hey Edward, just wanted to let you know that I love you, nothing special though. So what are you doing? Catching flies with that open mouth?' No, I don't think so.

I really needed to speak to Edward, talk to him about how I feel, but maybe I shouldn't let him know I love him, that would just scare him away, and I didn't want that. I suppose I should let him know I like him and that I want to be more than friends, but that I'm not sure how he feels. Yeah, that sounds about right. But when would I tell him? I needed to give him time to think about it, but I didn't want to see him the entire time after I tell him.

"Wow." Alice said, breaking the silence. "I guess that's pretty nice of him." I nodded, letting them know I agreed with them, even though I wasn't too sure on what I was agreeing with. Oh, right. Edward breaking up with Tanya.

"Yeah." I added. "Really nice." But I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it, because he hadn't broken up with her because of that. Of course, I couldn't let Alice know about it. It had been sort of the truth. He did feel bad for her. And she had liked him more than he liked her. But the ultimate reason was that he had liked me. At least, that's what he told me. But he could've been lying too. Let's just hope he hadn't been lying, though. After all, I _was_ in love with the guy.

"Listen." I continued. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go sleep. How about you, girls?" Alice and Rose nodded enthusiastically, insinuating that they weren't really tired, even though they told me they were. I liked them even more because of it; they pretended they were tired so that I could sleep. But the truth was that I wasn't really tired. I just needed to think. And what better way to think was there than to close your eyes and listen to the silence? None, if it were up to me. So that's exactly what I did.

Two and a half hours later, though, I still couldn't sleep. I was wide awake, but I could tell Rose and Alice were sleeping. I wish I was that lucky. Right then, I decided I needed to get out of bed. I really needed a walk, or some fresh air. I kept thinking about Edward and it didn't do me any good. I needed some sleep, but since I couldn't get some, I wanted to get out of bed.

I remembered Alice showing me a small balcony. I decided to go there, to get some fresh air. That would probably be a good idea. I threw the covers of of me and silently left the room. The door squeaked a bit, but Rose and Alice didn't wake up. I walked to the door that led to the balcony on my toes, trying not to wake anyone.

I silently opened this door, too, slipped through it and silently closed it again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Yes, this was exactly what I needed.

"Ahem." Someone said, which scared me to death. My eyes flew open to see Edward standing right in front of me. "Good evening." He said with a grin.

I gave him a weak smile. "Hey." I answered. What was he doing here? "What are you doing here?" I said, putting my thoughts into words. I needed some time away from my thoughts of Edward, but now I just got a few extra thoughts to think about. Great.

"Couldn't sleep." He said. "And you?" He asked me.

"Me neither." He smiled at me and gestured for me to stand beside him, which I did. "This is a great place." I told him honestly. "I bet you stand here pretty often.." I would've, if I lived here. But then I remembered he didn't, his parents just lived here. "I mean, if you're here to visit your parents.. I bet you all stand on this spot a lot, don't you?"

He nodded. "Sure." Wow, what a great reply. Full of intellectual proof and whatever. "I mean, I guess so, I do." This response was a little better, it triggered my curiosity. I asked him why he said that he did, but why he didn't mention the rest of his family. "Nobody hardly ever takes the time to enjoy the fresh air late at night." He replied. "I never used to. This summer, though, this has become my favourite spot. I can't go to sleep before I've stood here for about half an hour, to think things over…"

The way he said it made me wonder what kind of things he needed to think over. "I get that." I said. "I mean, that's why I'm here right now. To think things over." I shouldn't have said that, but somehow I wanted to. I wanted to talk to him about everything that was going on.

Edward looked at me and gave me a smile. "Really? What kind of things?" He asked me. Oh, now he thinks that he can just ask and I'll tell him everything? Nuh-uh. Not going to happen. Not unless he would spill too.

"I could ask you the same question." I answered him, raising one eyebrow. Yes, I wanted to talk to him, but not without a sign that he was willing to discuss a few things. What if he was tired? Then this wasn't the right time to discuss some awful emotional problem.

"You could." He said. Okay, I was getting tired of this. I looked at him with a sceptic face. "Okay, fine." Edward said, when he saw my sceptic look. "Mostly I come out here to think about…you."

I wasn't a great sign reader, but I'm guessing that's a sign that he's willing to discuss me and him. "Yeah." I told him. "That's why I'm out here, too. You're kind of stuck in my mind and I don't know what to do about it." I told him honestly. Edward smiled as I told him this. " I mean, not that I _want_ you out of my mind, it's just… Tanya."

His smile faded. "Yes." I could see he had thought about Tanya too. "There is the whole Tanya problem. I'm regretting that mistake even more by the second. Especially a second I shared with you." Aw, that was sweet. He really was perfect and we needed to work it out, because there was nothing I wanted to do more than kiss him right now.

"I regret that I walked away, that night at the club. I should've stayed." I said, telling him what I've been worrying about a lot. "Maybe then you wouldn't have liked Tanya.." I didn't know for sure, of course. Because Tanya was very beautiful and I could understand that a guy like Edward would fall for her the second his eyes met with hers.

Edward nodded. "Probably." He answered. I hated to think I could've been together with him already! I would have been able to kiss him, now, because he looked so beautiful. I wouldn't have to think about Tanya; she had never been involved. It would have been just me and Edward and that was it; there wouldn't have been any complicated situations. "But it's not your fault. I guess I understand why you walked away. I just shouldn't have overreacted."

I was just about to protest his thoughts when Edward suddenly turned to face me, his face now only a few inches away from mine. "Bella." He said, but it was more like a whisper. "Do you think you can forgive me for my mistake?" He asked me. I was glad he didn't say her name, it would not have been good. If I'd hear her name, I would turn away from him, but since he didn't mention her, I could still stare in his eyes. I needed to work it out with Tanya before I could let anything happen between me and Edward.

I nodded. "Yes." I said. "Of course, Edward."

Edward grinned. "Good." He said, while there was still a slight smile on his face and there was a twinkle in his eyes. I loved to stare at his face, to see his flawless smile and his bright, green eyes. "Because I can't stand another second not being able to kiss you."

Those were his final words before his lips touched mine.

* * *

**Yes, yes, you're allowed to scream, shout, run, dance, throw your hands in the air, scream from the rooftops, write it in the sky, tell everyone you know, etc. And all of that because they kissed. :) I know, I was happy too. I finally gave them their first kiss. And I can assure you; it will continue in the next chapter. Yes, they kiss a week long! I wish I was able to kiss Edward for a week long. That'd be fun, wouldn't it? ;]**

**Like I said at the top; I'm working on the next chapter, but I don't have it finished. I apologize, but I couldn't work on it as much as I'd like to. I wish I could do more, but school won't let me..**

**A/N: I mentioned something before about finishing one out of two stories I have left. This one will be coming to an end soon, and after that I'd like to continue 'The Phonecall' OR 'Trouble in Paradise'. Of course, I'll also finish the other one, but that will take a while. I'd rather not do them at the same time. Now, I couldn't decide which one I would finish first. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHICH STORY YOU THINK I SHOULD FINISH FIRST. I'm sorry for the capital letters, but I wanted everyone to pay attention. ;] **

**As usual, tell me what you think! :)  
With love, me.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone.  
I'm glad you're back. First things first: I give you permission to hit me for taking soooo long! I know, I know, I should've updated sooner. I know a lot of you think so. ;) I've gotten many messages asking me when I'm going to update the next chapter. Truth is; I never know. Some days I love to work on this story, other days I hate it. Some days I have lots of spare time, some days I don't. Just know that I'm planning on finishing every story that I started. I don't know if I will start any new ones, though. But I always hate it when there's a great story and the author didn't finish it. Now, I'm not saying that these stories are great - the exact opposite, is more like it - but I don't want to be a hypocrit. **

**Now, the last chapter ended with Bella and Edward kissing. Yes, they kissed! On the balcony while Bella was having a sleepover with Alice. This chapter picks up where the last one ended; while they were kissing. I thought you might like to know, since it has been soooo long since I updated, so now you know what happened.**

**See you all at the bottom!**

* * *

Let me tell you; when Edward kissed someone, he kissed like he meant it. And by someone, I mean me.

His lips felt so good on mine, I wish they could stay there forever. And for a few seconds, I even thought that would be possible. Edward could be mine forever. Then I had a reality check. First, there was the thing with my best friend, Tanya. I still needed to talk to her and ask her what she thought about me and Edward. She'd be pissed to no end, but I felt like she needed to hear it from me. Second, Edward was undoubtedly way out of my league. Maybe he'd lower his standards during the summer holidays (a lot of people did) but when summer was over, I would be replaced.

And hey, one summer _with_ Edward MUST be better than no Edward at all. Sure, he'd break my heart. But it was better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all. Or something like that. Honestly, I don't care about those sayings.

And besides, I couldn't help thinking that maybe, possibly, he'd still want me after summer. Even though he lived nowhere near here, but we could work that out, couldn't we? And we could definitely be together for the rest of our lives. I wouldn't mind that at all.

But I just knew we couldn't. I needed to get back to step one. Tanya. She really was important to me and I didn't want to ruin our friendship over a guy. Especially not a guy who would be gone in a few weeks. Besides, maybe Edward didn't even like me all that much? Maybe he didn't want anything more than just this one kiss?

But I could tell that that wasn't true. When I kissed him, I could taste the desire on his lips. Heck, I even _felt_ his desire in a lower region, if you know what I mean. It took me all the willpower that I've got in my tiny body to stop kissing him and retreat.

I could see Edward's surprised eyes gazing down at mine. "What's wrong?" He asked me in a voice that I hadn't heard him use before. It was filled with desire, that was easy to tell. Again, I collected all my willpower to not press my body against his again. "Did I do something…?" Edward asked me. I shook my head. No, he didn't do anything wrong. He just did what I had been to scared to do and I was grateful that he took the first step. Very grateful.

"No." I told him. I really wanted to kiss him again. I did not want to stand there, to talk to him about why we shouldn't kiss. All I wanted to do was feel his body against mine. But I couldn't. I couldn't. I…could? No! "You didn't do anything wrong." That was the truth. That kiss hadn't been wrong at all. It had been good. Very, _very_, good. But no more kisses, Bella, I mean it!

Edward looked confused. "Then…" He said, looking at my face to see if that gave away any reasons. Clearly, it didn't, since he continued. "What is it, Bella? I thought.. you liked me?" I kind of smiled as he said this. He sounded so insecure, like he was a teenage nerd, trying to seduce the head cheerleader.

Of course, he wasn't. He was the gorgeous football captain and I was the school's girly nerd, who'd never get a boyfriend. Yet, it sounded like the rolls were reversed. Oh, I wish.

"I do like you." I said. _That_ certainly was the understatement of the year. "I do, a lot." Edward's face lit up, as if that statement made his day. "But…" I continued. Edward's face fell again and he rolled his eyes, which made me chuckle. Yeah, there's a but, Edward, you didn't think you could get away with kissing my best friend that easily, did you? Of course, I didn't say that out loud. "But I need to talk to Tanya first. I mean, if you want us to be…more." I said, unsure of what to call us?

He sighed and threw his head back. "Fine." He said, as if he was the dwarf named grumpy. "I guess I understand. She's your best friend." He laid his hand on my neck and pulled my face a little closer, so that our lips were almost touching again. "And I _do_ want to be more than friends with you."

I grinned. "Me, too." I said, before he put his lips on mine again. This time, it was only a short kiss, though. I guess I had it coming. I mean, I stopped him the first time, he has the right to stop the kiss now. Which he did, very quickly. I'm sure he did that only to tease me, because when he pulled back he had a huge grin on his face.

"Now," He said. "We should go back to sleep. I'm sure I have some pretty good dreams coming." He added with a wink, before opening the door for me. He brought me back to Alice's room, but I didn't know why. He was just being nice, I suppose. But it made us look like… like we were a real couple. God, I liked this man. "Goodnight, Bella." He said and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

Then, he just turned around and walked away. Just like that. I sighed, disappointed that there wasn't going to be any more making out tonight, and walked back into Alice's room, where Rose and Alice were both still sleeping. I smiled; they both looked so adorable in their sleep. I crawled back into bed and embraced the warmth. Edward was right; I had a few good dreams coming for me, as well. I closed my eyes and all I could see was Edward's face. I touched my lips with my hand, as if I could feel him that way.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

EPOV

I leaned against the door I had just closed behind me. My head fell back against it and my eyes closed, as if by themselves. There was only one thing on my mind; Bella. I've always felt attracted to her and I fell in love with our conversations at the first word she uttered. But nothing had stunned me more than the kiss we had just shared, a few minutes ago. It paralysed me.

But of course, Bella had to go and break the thing off. Not just that, though. After the rude kiss-breaking, she even started telling me about how we shouldn't do this, and how we should wait because of my own stupid mistake. I knew she was probably right, it _was_ a bit unfair towards Tanya, but I couldn't help being a bit annoyed. I finally kissed Bella, something I had been dreaming of the moment I met her, and then we had to stop. First I thought it was because she didn't want me. But she cleared up that mistake pretty soon by telling me she was concerned for Tanya.

One good thing had come from this, though. I knew now what Bella thought of me. Oh, how I adored Alice right now. After all, it had been _her_ scheming that got Bella to sit beside me during dinner and made her sleep over at our house. If she hadn't, I still wouldn't know how she felt about me. Now I knew she liked me, too, and that we could be together. If only I hadn't made the Tanya mistake. We could be happily kissing on the balcony right now.

I _did_ make the mistake, however, and right now I was paying the price. The thought of being with Bella in the near future calmed me, yet excited me at the same time. The first, because it reassured me we would be together and I will get to hold her close to me whenever I please. The second, because it would be amazing. We'd have the best time. The thought of Bella's warm body pressed tightly against mine… Wow. Just the thought of it made me want to run to Alice's room to take Bella with me to my own bed.

For now, though, I decided to go to sleep. My mind was full with thoughts of Bella, so it made it hard for me to sleep, but it also assured me of a few good dreams. I closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep.

The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the same girl was in my mind. I smiled at the memory of her lips against mine last night. I contemplated the idea of it being a dream, but I knew it couldn't be. I wouldn't get so many small details from just a dream. Like the smell of her hair, for instance. The touch of her lips. I couldn't have gotten that from a dream, though they _were_ heavenly.

I spent the time it took me to walk to the kitchen dreaming of Bella and her sweet lips. God, what I would do for her lips to be on mine again. When I arrived at the kitchen, however, Bella wasn't there. Alice was there, sitting next to Jasper, eating pancakes. Emmett sat on the other side of the table, with a three spoonfuls of cereal in his mouth and another one coming. Rosalie sat on his right, looking at him with disgust, while drinking a cup of coffee. Wow, my family was _weird_.

"Hey guys." I grabbed the cereal and got some too, like Emmett. Although I wouldn't eat four spoons with cereal at the same time, unlike Emmett. Yeah, he was about to go for five. I'm completely serious. "Any of you seen Bella?" I asked them. They all looked up at me with surprise and stopped with what they were doing. Everyone but Emmett that is, of course. He was about to put the seventh spoon of cereal in his mouth. I'm not kidding. It was disgusting, as Rosalie, I'm sure, would agree with me. She had been studying him for the past five minutes.

I looked away from Emmett; I couldn't look at him anymore. It was gross. "Um, what's wrong?" I asked, because they still hadn't said anything. "Oh for the love of god, Emmett, do us all a favour, will you, and swallow?" Emmett looked guilty, but Rosalie had a relieved look on her face. I could tell she hadn't wanted to make him swallow the cereal, but she wanted him to swallow it alright.

"Edward," Alice said. "Bella left early this morning.. I thought she let you know?" That certainly put a damper on my mood. She left? Why? I didn't need to ask Alice, though, she knew what I was about to ask. "She said she had to go home, you know, and take care of some things. We all assumed you knew what things were required to take care of, so we didn't ask her."

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, could they be any more stupid? "Really guys, why would you assume I'd know anything about it? It's not like I'm her best friend or whatever. I'm not you, Alice."

Jasper murmured a silent 'thank god' which made us all laugh. Even Alice. Well, a little.

Alice grinned at me, though. "Well, I had assumed you knew _something_, since the two of you were making out on the balcony last night."

Rosalie laughed, Jasper grinned and Emmett yelled out a loud "DUDE!" while giving me a high five. Honestly, what was _wrong_ with them?

I just ate my cereal, not sure of what I should tell them, now. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean she tells me her deepest, darkest, secrets." Alice rolled her eyes and mentioned that I could show a little more enthusiasm, hadn't I just kissed the girl of my dreams? I confessed that I had, in fact, kissed that girl, but that it didn't mean that girl wanted anything more to do with me. Especially if that girl sneaked out of the house early in the morning before even talking to me.

Alice was sort of quiet after that. Rosalie wasn't, though. "Oh but Edward! It's so romantic. Tell him, Emmett! Tell him how romantic it is." Emmett did no such thing, but just ate some more cereal. "Oh, what does he know? He's Emmett. Really Edward, I think she really _does_ like you. Why else would she kiss you? She's Bella, she doesn't lie or anything."

Fortunately I didn't have to answer that, because my cell phone rang. Yeah, it shocked me too. "Hello?" I answered, while trying to swallow the last of the cereal that I was still chewing on.

"Edward? It's Bella." I smiled. Of course she still liked me. I had to say I was a little relieved. I mean, she told me liked me, last night, but maybe she changed her mind tonight. I didn't really want that to happen, now did I? "Listen," She continued. "I'm sorry I was gone this morning. I really wanted to talk to you, but I felt like I had to get this over with. Are you free for lunch, though?" I chuckled. Was this the shy Bella I had met that first night at the club? It didn't seem likely. But it was.

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to. Where do you want to meet?" She told me about a great Italian place. I said I would be there at one and we said goodbye. My siblings wanted to know more, though.

"Well?" Jasper asked. Yes, the same Jasper who hardly ever opens his mouth to gossip. "How did it go? What did she say?" I laughed again. They were crazy, yes, but I loved them all.

"We're having lunch this afternoon. She said there was something she wanted to get over with, or whatever. Something like that."

They just nodded and then we continued eating breakfast, like a normal family. I wish we could do that more often, but unfortunately; we weren't a normal family.

Even though breakfast was quiet, I was screaming inside. I wanted to tell everyone about how great Bella was. How mind-blowing our kiss had been. But I couldn't. If I said one word, I felt as if it might jinx it. I still couldn't believe it had been real and not a dream. A sweet, wonderful dream. But since Alice knew about it, it must be real. Plus, Bella called me this morning. So there was _something_ there.

It wasn't just that I was so happy, I was also sort of nervous. Bella would be talking to Tanya right now. I knew it shouldn't matter, but it did. Tanya was Bella's best friend and I _had_ treated Tanya badly, I confess. I could've handled that better. But it was done, it was in the past. All I could do now, was hope that my 'fling' with Tanya wouldn't affect my relationship with Bella. There were still a few more weeks until the summer ended. I didn't even want to think about that. It seemed horrible; going away from Bella. But that was later. I would think about that when I needed to.

I put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher and went upstairs to get away from the stares from my siblings. I was kind of nervous about the lunch date I had with Bella in a couple of hours. What would I wear? I know I sounded like a girl, but know that I'm not usually like that. I don't normally throw a fit about what I should wear, or ask myself if my butt looks big in those pants. That's not me. Although I didn't even ask myself that last thing today, so I never, truly do that. I considered asking Alice to help me with my outfit – she's great with clothes, she could surely help me – but I decided against it. If Alice helped me, she would want to do everything, including my hair. And I do _not_ let my sister touch my hair. Plus, she'd ask me all these things about Bella, that I didn't even know yet. I wanted to find them out, though.

After I finally decided on a dark blue blouse and my favourite jeans, I still had one hour left before I'd see Bella. I was wondering how it went with Tanya. Would she be mad? Would Bella cry? I pictured that, Bella crying, and felt a strange urge to comfort her, to wipe the tears away from her face, kiss her and tell her that it would be okay.

I really must like her.

Would Bella feel the same about me, though? Would she really want me as a boyfriend? I truly hoped she didn't want me as a flirt, or as a one nightstand. I couldn't deal with that. On the one hand; one night with Bella would be better than no night with Bella. But that one night would have me craving for more. And if I wouldn't get more, I think it would drive me insane.

I joined my siblings in the living room; they were watching tv. Honestly, you'd think we don't have anything better to do. We did, we should clean, do the dishes or help out in the garden, where my parents were. And still, if we didn't want to do anything useful, we should go to the shops, restaurants, park, anything. But no, here we were, watching tv on a sunny morning. Pathetic, that's what it is.

When it was a quarter to one, I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my wallet, said goodbye to my siblings and went outside. Yes, I would finally see Bella again. The first time after we kissed. Would we do that again? Would she even show up? Maybe she hated my guts now, after she had spoken with Tanya. Well, I would find out.

* * *

**Oh yes, we will find out. I hope soon, but I can't promise anything. I'm going to start working on the new chapter right now, but I'm not sure I will finish it anytime soon. I'm sorry.**

**I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and give my story another chance, it'll be over in a few chapters, so I hope you still like it.**

**Thanks to everyone who's still there, despite my very late updates. I truly appreciate it. Also thanks to the many reviews I got. It's amazing; they really help me to get this story finished. **

**See you soon (I hope).. With love,**

**me.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi everyone! You didn't think I'd be back this soon, did you? Truth to be told, I could've updated this way earlier, but I didn't. I'm sorry. But I wanted to give everyone a chance to catch up with the story, since it has been sooo long. My bad.**

**I realized that I'm almost done with this story. There's gonna be one more chapter, maaaybeee two if I can't hold myself in and start writing a bunch of stuff that's funny, but doesn't matter. And then an epilogue. So you see, you can almost stop being mad at me, for the story can't be late soon, because it will be finished. But if you reaalyy want to be mad at me, you can always check out my other stories and be mad that I haven't updated any of those in a long time.**

**After I finish this story, I'm planning on working on The Phonecall but I'm not sure there will be any updates soon. I'm not done with the next chapter, but I know exactly what will happen and how the story will come to an end. Unfortunately for you; you have no clue. Haha. Nah, you'll find out soon. I promise. At least, it'll be revealed before 2011. I promise. ;]**

**Now, let's stop the babbling. I'll see you at the bottom! **

* * *

BPOV

I hung up the phone after my conversation with Edward. Yes, I was looking forward to having lunch with him. But I wasn't looking forward to what I was about to do; talk to Tanya. I knew I couldn't bring Edward, but right now, I couldn't see why not. I wanted him by my side, to support me. He wasn't there, though. He was safely home, with his family. God, I wish I were there too. Maybe I should hide out there for a while, after this. I'm sure Tanya will be plenty mad when she finds out. I didn't know if Edward and his family would want me at their home, though. I hoped so. I didn't want to be here after I told Tanya about me and her 'ex'.

It wouldn't go over well. Tanya hadn't really experienced a break-up that she wasn't satisfied with. Most of the time, she broke up with the guy, not the other way around. Edward had broken that pattern, though. He didn't want to be with her. For some strange, sick reason, he wanted to be with me. Me! Bella Swan! An absolutely average girl, with average intellect and average beauty. I couldn't see why he chose me over her, I just knew that he did, and I sure as heck wasn't going to complain.

I got my key out of my bag and slowly opened the door, a little afraid of what I would find there. Nothing. Tanya must still be sleeping. I crossed the living room, to her bedroom and knocked on the door. "Tanya?" I asked, waiting to hear her voice. No reply. "Tanya, are you there?" Now I heard something. A groan, I must've woken her up, even though it was about ten thirty. Must've gotten late last night.

I slowly opened her door and found her in bed. But not alone. "Oh my god, Tanya, I'm so sorry." I said and was about to leave her room again, when I saw who was in her bed with Tanya. "MIKE?" No, that couldn't be. "Tanya, you slept with MIKE?" Mike was a friend of ours. He was nice, sure, but nothing special. Not even very handsome, though he could be considered cute. But Tanya was definitely out of his league. He'd tried to start something with me, though. But I had refused. I wouldn't date Mike. That would be very, very weird. And Tanya sleeping with him was even weirder. She was way to pretty for him. Must've been his lucky night.

Tanya glared at me. "I don't think this is the time and place to talk about that." Mike looked shocked, too, and quickly got out of bed and gather his clothes.

I turned around. "Whoah, Mike, no need to see you naked, there." He apologized, I guess he forgot he wasn't wearing any underwear. This moment was absolutely absurd. I almost forgot why I was even here in the first place. "Um, Tanya. I'm going to leave this room now. But I would appreciate it if we could talk later?" She said we could, though I didn't think she would want to talk about what had happened last night. Neither did I, but I had to tell her about Edward. I had to. I wanted to leave this apartment, go to Edward and make him comfort me. Of course, I needed to settle things here. Unfortunately.

I went into the kitchen and made some coffee. I could use some. I hadn't had a cup of coffee over at the Cullens. I'd wanted to leave, to talk to Tanya so I could finally be with Edward and kiss him some more. But I could see that this would be even harder than I thought. When girls like Tanya started sleeping with boys like Mike, something was very, very wrong. And I suspected that had something to do with Edward and the way he treated her. Maybe she needed someone who told her how beautiful she was, and who realized how lucky he was to be with her. Maybe she needed some sort of ego boost. That sounded like Tanya. She needed to have an ego boost every now and then. Maybe it helped her to hold on to her confidence. It seemed plausible.

The coffee was delicious and hot. Just the way you'd want it after a hard night without a lot of sleep. I poured a cup for Tanya too, I supposed she could use one. She must've had a rough night too. Yuck, with Mike. The idea grossed me out. And when I saw him naked a few minutes ago, I could tell that he didn't really have anything to be proud of, if you know what I mean. Gross. I'd like to forget this moment very much, please. I thought about with lunch with Edward and sighed. It sounded amazing, but I knew I'd have to wait a couple of more hours.

I saw Mike running out of the door murmuring an embarrassed "Bye Bella". Tanya left her room too, but she hadn't changed. She had put on a robe, though. I gave her the cup of coffee and she thanked me.

"Listen, about that…" She started, but I cut her off, saying I didn't really want to hear about it. She seemed relieved and took a sip from her coffee. "So what did you want to talk about?"

I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "Tanya, I wanted to talk to you about…" Could I say it? I thought about chicken out, but soon realized I wouldn't be able to date Edward if I would. So I continued. "Edward." I finished. Tanya's expression hardened immediately. That's what I expected.

Tanya looked mad. Even before I told her I'd be dating Edward from now on. What would I do when she wouldn't let me? Well, the answer to that was pretty easy. I knew you should always put your friends above your boyfriends. So how come I was planning to do the exact opposite?

"Yes?" She asked. "What did you wanna say about that retarded moron?" Ouch. I guess he really hurt Tanya. Normally she wasn't very rude. I know people look at her and see the 'bad girl' or 'the worst best friend ever' but she really wasn't. She'd been a great friend to me and I've known her for almost my entire life. I loved my best friend. But I wouldn't let her take Edward away from me. He really was something. A once in a lifetime opportunity, if you will.

"Well," I started. "I know things have gone badly between the two of you…" She snorted; Understatement of the year. "But that didn't change my feelings about him." She looked confused, of course she didn't get it. "I'm saying that I like him. I've liked him for a long time, the first moment I laid eyes on him." Tanya's eyes got wide. Yes that's what I suspected. At least, if she were going to say the same thing, that she liked him the first moment she saw him, I could say that I've liked him longer. I knew him before Tanya did. Even it were only a few minutes. I danced with him before Tanya met him.

Tanya got over the first shock. Her facial expression was almost back to normal. I sighed of relief, that meant I wouldn't get a whole of screaming. She took one more deep breath to calm herself and then spoke. "Thanks." She said. "Thanks for telling me this. I know some friends who wouldn't have told me." I smiled at her, I knew she could be reasonable. "However," She said. Oh crap. "I don't really appreciate the fact that you didn't tell me before. Plus; I don't know this for sure, but I hope you're not thinking about dating him! You're my best friend. He's my ex. It would be too weird for me. I'd never date one of your exes."

This time, it was me who couldn't be reasonable. I lost my calm. "That's because I don't have any exes!" I almost yelled. "You couldn't possibly date someone who doesn't exist! And do you know _why_ they don't exist?" She stayed quiet, probably surprised and shocked by my outburst. Normally, I was always calm. Not now. "Because you take them away from me before they can become my boyfriend, let alone my ex." I calmed down a bit when I'd said this. "But that's okay. It wasn't your fault and I know it wasn't your intention to do so. But you did. And now, for the first time I could date someone, you forbid me because he's _your_ ex. And I don't think that's fair."

Tanya raised her eyebrows. Then started laughing. "Look Bella, I'm sorry about the other boyfriends and I confess it might seem like that. I'm sorry about that. But do you really think you have a shot with Edward?" She laughed even louder. "You know I love you, but Edward doesn't seem interested in _me_, do you really think he'd want to date _you_?"

I got pissed off again. Best friend my ass. "Yes." I said. "In fact, I met his parents last night. His sister invited me to dinner. Because I took the chance to get to know his family. When I was there, he played the piano for me. When I wanted to go home, his sister made me sleep in her room. And you know what? I'm so thankful for that." Tanya looked sceptical.

"Honestly," She said. "Do you really think that makes him like you? Do you even realize his sister invited you and made you stay there? It wasn't him!"

I snorted. "Oh, I know. But I doubt his sister made him kiss me." Tanya's eyes grew big again. "That's right. I couldn't sleep. I went outside, to the balcony. He was there too. And we kissed. Well, made out is more like it. He's a _great_ kisser. But you know what? I stopped him, because I wanted to talk to you first. But I see now that you can't be reasonable!"

Tanya looked mad. "Well, maybe he was drunk. Besides, that was one kiss. Who knows if he's interested in you now?!"

I was mad too. I knew she'd be mad, but I didn't realize she would be laughing at me. Tell me I wasn't as good as her. And it hurt, because that's what I believed for years. Until Edward. "You're completely right." I said. "But I'm having lunch with him in half an hour. Yeah, I'm going to date him. He told me himself that he wanted me, not you." She looked mad again, but this time I didn't care. "And you know what? I'm going to go there _right now_ and make out with him some more. Don't you just _love_ doing that?" I confess, that was a low blow. I knew she really liked him too, but right now I was too mad to be kind to her.

I walked out the door and shut the door with a loud bang. We were both too mad to be reasonable right now. But at least she knew the truth. I owed her that. Maybe we could talk again later, when we were both cooled off. We could use that. I didn't want to give up my best friend. She had always been there for me.

But first things first. Lunch with Edward. I sighed out of relief. Finally. I knew I'd be there early, but I didn't want to stay in my apartment with Tanya. That'd be awkward. So I went to the Italian restaurant.

Fortunately for me, our table was already available. I walked to my favourite spot and found Edward already sitting there. I smiled immediately. God, he was amazing. He turned around and saw me too.

"Hey." He said. I didn't even respond. The first thing I did was throw my arms around him and hug him. I needed to feel him against me. To tell me it would be okay. Even though I tried to ignore Tanya's words, it didn't work. They still made me feel insecure. I wondered if he still liked me. If he would try to find someone better than me. I knew he could someone way better.

But I was comforted by his arms around me. I felt his hands in my hair and on my back. I closed my eyes to enjoy this feeling.

"So." Edward said. "How did it go?" I laughed. He could tell it didn't go well. Not that I had changed my mind. I wanted – no, _needed_ – to be with Edward, so I couldn't ever leave him. I would wait until he would leave me. And that would certainly happen. By the end of the summer, if not earlier.

"Not well." I said, before telling him the entire story. I even told him how Tanya made me feel insecure, I told him the things she said, what I said in response. I told him how mad she was, how she didn't believe him. And I told him that, how crazy it might sound, I missed my best friend. If something happened when I was younger, I would always tell Tanya. She was the one I told absolutely everything. And now I couldn't. I was finally happy, but I couldn't tell her, I couldn't share it with her. And even though I was totally angry with her, I missed her.

"Bella," Edward said. "that's completely normal. She was your best friend. I get that. I'm so sorry I came between the two of you. Can you ever forgive me?"

I was shocked. "Forgive you? Edward, there's nothing to forgive! It's not _your_ fault. I shouldn't have been insecure that first night I met you. I gave up. And that's _my_ fault." That was the truth, too. If I had just stayed, maybe there wouldn't have been any problems. Tanya would see that I found a guy and she would've been happy for me, I'm sure. But now there was all this drama that no one could fix.

Edward and I continued to fight for a few minutes, but when the waiter came to ask us what we liked to drink we dropped the subject. Too much misery. Right now, we should be happy. We were finally together! And after Edward assured me he wouldn't try to find someone better, because according to him he's the lucky one and hopes that _I_ won't find anyone better than him, my insecurities faded. I still wondered why he wanted me, of all people, but he assured me he felt the same way. He couldn't understand why I had chosen him, out of all people. He didn't see himself clearly at all, now did he?

In case anyone was wondering; the food was delicious.

But Edward was even more delicious. After lunch we took a walk in the park. There may have been some kissing involved. And sure, I may have had something to do with that. But Edward seemed willing enough, let me tell you that! He didn't complain at all.

His lips were so soft; his kisses mesmerized me. I felt like I was about to faint, the moment his lips touched mine. My body seemed to burn, but when he pressed his body against mine, his body felt like the water, that stopped the burning.

The afternoon was coming to an end – yes, that's how long we were making out at the park. Hey, can you blame us? We're young. We just started dating. Give us a break! – and we were deciding on where to eat. "You know what," Edward said. "why don't we go back to my place. I'm sure Alice and Rose are _dying_ to talk to you. And of course, to tease you and make cruel jokes."

I bit my lip. "They won't, will they?" I asked, a bit scared.

He laughed. "I'm afraid they will. But don't worry, I had the worst this morning. I'm sure they won't be that bad. Besides, I'll be right there beside you if you need me." I smiled. That was true.

I decided to pack my bags, too. If I went there, Alice would surely want me to stay for the night. I wasn't sure if I would want to stay in her room, though. I might decide to stay with her brother in his room.

And no, I did not mean Emmett.

We went into the apartment when we were sure Tanya was gone. I suspected she went to Mike, but I wasn't sure. And I'd rather not think about it too much. The idea still completely grossed me out.

I grabbed my stuff and quickly left the apartment, where Edward was waiting for me. You never know if Tanya decided to bring friends over who she will sleep with but won't like and who she feels too good for. Yes Mike, I'm talking about you. She doesn't like you, get a grip!

Edward took my hand – the gesture completely took me by surprise. I never really had a boyfriend, so I didn't know when you were supposed to hold hands and stuff. I never learned those romantic things. I found that I rather liked them. Well, I liked them when Edward this those things – and together we walked back to his place, where his family was waiting for his. That shocked me, too. How could they possibly know we were coming? But there they were; waiting for us to start the dinner. They were all sitting by the dinner table, waiting for us to join them.

"Oh Esme, it smells delicious!" I commented.

Esme smiled. "Thank you dear." I sat next to Edward and Alice. I didn't want to sit next to Emmett and Edward again during a formal dinner. I've learned from my mistakes.

"Now," Jasper said. "Why don't we start?" And so we did.

* * *

**Though the ending of this chapter might seem a little weird, I think it's perfect. I wanted to show everyone how normal and right it feels for Bella to be with Edward. So his family must feel right about her too. And having dinner with them is such a normal thing, it's great.**

**I don't expect you to get that, though. That's just my crazy mind working overtime.**

**I hope you like this chapter, I will bring the next chapter as soon as possible. School might not give me a whole lot of freetime, though. I'm so sorry. I'll do my best!**

**Please let me know what you think, as always. Even if you want to tell me how badly this story needs some cheese, alcohol, whatever. I don't care. If it's hilarious, I'll do my best to work it into the next chapter. You know I love your crazy ideas! (:**

**With love,  
meee.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi everyone! Long time no see huh? I know. My bad. I'm just couldn't get this chapter right. This is my best version and even that one sucked. I'm sorry.**

**Everyone, I'd like to make a sad announcement: THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER!. I know, I feel horrible too. But it must be over sometime, right? I'd like to thank everyone who stayed with me along the way. You are great, truly. You're the best readers anyone could ever wish for.**

**And yes, I listened to your ideas. I'd like to give Lexi, AKA MissA540 some credit. She asked for bacon; I brought it to you. Read and find out!**

* * *

EPOV

"Edward, no! Don't!" Bella screamed. "Don't you dare, mister!" I smiled. She looked amazing in her bikini, splashing water at me with a huge grin on her face. How could I have gotten so lucky? It seemed a mystery. She looked like an angel. And I felt like the devil; attacking an angel. Sure, it was only water. But still, you shouldn't attack angels.

I could make an exception. I took a few steps back. Oh, she'll be sorry for all that splashing. Yes, indeed. I took one more step back, before running towards the pool. "CANNONBALL!" I yelled as loud as I could and jumped into the air. I saw Bella duck, Emmett looking proud and Jasper wondering if I'd lost my mind. I suppose I had.

When I was around Bella, I was this whole other person. And not in a bad way. She made me happy and when she was near, I was never depressed. When she left, that was an entirely different matter. I could sulk around for hours when she left. I guess it's not healthy, but it didn't change the fact that it happened. Fortunately, she hardly ever left me. Tanya and Bella still weren't speaking to each other – that didn't make me very happy at all. I didn't like breaking up two best friends, but I was selfish enough to let it happen anyway – and so Bella never went home to her own apartment. Alice made her stay with us, for the summer. Sometimes she slept in my room and then the nights were great – amazing, even. Unbelievable. Like a dream. Insanely fantastic. I could go on about that, but let's not – but most of the time, Alice made Bella sleep in her own room, because she wanted to have a sleepover with her new best friend.

Yes, Alice and Bella had gotten along great. They were inseparable. No one could drag them away from each other, except for me and Jasper, of course. Rose adored Bella as well. In fact, my entire family was in love with that girl. Though it was sometimes hard – you wouldn't believe the teasing Bella and I have to go through – it made me happy as well. No more drama. Finally.

Bella finally came up. "Oh, you're evil." She said, while glaring at me. I couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Oh yeah?" I said. "Why don't you come and punish me?" I winked at her and she smiled, telling me she certainly would. She put her arms around my neck and her legs around my hips. I smiled while her lips slowly reached mine. And then she pulled back.

"Hey!" I said in protest. "What was that for?"

"I had to punish you, now didn't I?" she said to me while swimming away from me. Oh, and punish me she did.

We had a great day in the pool. I liked to cool off a little; it was a hot summer. We only had a few days left until the summer ended. I had had so much fun with Bella. I truly had fallen in love with her. More than I've ever loved anyone. It was a strange feeling, but I wasn't planning on losing it in a few days. I hadn't discussed my plans with Bella, so I was sure she'd be surprised. I wondered what she would say if I asked her.

When we rode home in the car together – everyone had taken their own car, so that the couples could be together for half an hour – we were both silent, but we held hands. She was so adorable and her skin was so soft, so smooth. I just couldn't get enough of this girl.

"Edward?" She said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Could you do me a favour?" I didn't answer the question; it was obvious I'd do anything for her. "I really want to go and see Tanya. I know it sounds weird, but I really miss her. I want to talk to her." I nodded. I'd been waiting for that to happen. Bella missed her former best friend. I didn't like Tanya, I despised her for the words she said to Bella. Those harsh words were the most untrue words I've ever heard in my life. Bella not being good enough for me, Pff. It was _me_ who wasn't good enough for her! And somehow, I'd gotten lucky enough.

"Sure thing. Let's take a detour today." I looked at her and smiled to comfort her. She seemed at ease, but I knew she'd be a little nervous. She hadn't spoken to Tanya in weeks, now. I was sure there were going to be some issues, but I knew we had to try anyway. "Do you want me to go with you? Or do you want to talk to her alone?"

Bella thought about that for a moment. "I think you should go with me. After all, she had a problem with us dating, so she should know that nothing has changed. We're still together. And we love each other. Tanya should know that. Even if she's mad, maybe deep down she'll still be happy for me, like she would be if we hadn't been having a fight."

I smiled. Good, I wanted to come with her. I didn't like her facing Tanya all alone. She needed someone to protect her from the wrath of Tanya. Bella told me lots and lots – and lots and lots – of stories about Tanya and about how kind she had been to her. Still, I'd never seen that Tanya. I didn't think I ever would, though it would be nice to know Bella had a real friend.

I met Angela, though. Now she was a great girl. And I met her best friend at work, Jacob. He was an alright guy, nothing special though. I thought I had to worry about him, but Bella told me he was madly in love with some Nessie.

"Okay Bella, we'll go. We'll go see Tanya. Better yet: we'll do it right now." I took a left turn and we were on our way to Tanya's apartment. It was also Bella's apartment, but I never thought of it that way. I know that was strange, but she hardly ever spent time there anymore. She was always with me and that's the way I wanted it to be.

When we stood before the door to the apartment, I could see Bella's nervousness. She held the key in her hand, but couldn't open the door, I could tell. I put my arm around her waist and tried to calm her. It worked. She put the key in the lock and opened the door. "Tanya?" I heard Bella's voice say. "Are you there?" No answer. "Tanya!" Bella tried again. Still no answer. She turned to face me. "I guess she's not here." I knew she was disappointed. After she finally made up her mind to reconcile with Tanya, she couldn't find her. I knew it had taken her a lot of courage to come back here and now it was all for nothing. I really started to dislike her, even though I knew it was wrong of me. Tanya had been Bella's best friend for years and I knew she didn't do her any wrong. Until now. I hated that it was over me, but I was selfish enough to let it happen anyway.

I kissed Bella's forehead. "Let's go. We have no other reason to be here." I suggested. Bella nodded. I took her hand and she followed me towards the door.

"Bella?" Tanya. "Oh my god ! I can't believe you're here!" I couldn't believe what was happening here. Tanya didn't seem mad at all. She ran to Bella and hugged her. "Oh Bells, I missed you _so_ much! I'm so, so, so, so sorry! I knew you liked Edward! I did! But I'm just a selfish, horrible person!"

Bella put her arms around Tanya. I could see her smile. "I missed you too, Tanya. I really did." I knew, right then, that everything was going to be okay. Yes, I still didn't like Tanya. But Bella did. And I knew Tanya wasn't a bad person. She just couldn't stand to lose. I think she learned a valuable lesson here.

I think Tanya knew that, too. "Look, Bella, I'm really sorry. I'll never be able to forgive myself. You were – no, you _are_! – my best friend in the whole world. When kissed this totally cute guy a few weeks ago, I realized that _you're_ the one I wanted to talk to. Not Angela or Jessica or whatever. _You!_ I'm sorry it took me so long for me to realize that I'm horrible, but I'll try to be a better friend from now on." I smiled, I knew Tanya meant it. "And I'm really happy for you and Edward. I am."

I could see how happy Bella was to hear this. "Thanks Tanya." She said. "You don't know how much that means to me. Because it really means a lot to hear you say that. As happy as I am with Edward, I could never be truly happy, knowing that you're mad at me. But I'm glad that is not the case here."

Tanya let go of Bella. "Oh Bells, of course not! I could never be mad at you! I know it seemed that way before, but I was just jealous. I experienced something that I had never experienced before. And I'm truly sorry."

"It's okay." Bella said. "I'm glad we finally started talking about this. Because I really need you in my life."

Bella and Tanya started rambling on about how much they needed each other. I stopped listening after a while. They kept repeating the same thing, they just worded it differently. I was just glad to see that things had finally worked out.

I knew there was another problem; summer was coming to an end. And even though I didn't know Bella long, I knew I couldn't be without here. My house was far away from here, but I knew that my home was right here. With Bella. So I made up my mind. I knew what to do.

BPOV

We were all sitting in the living room. I had invited Edward's family to come over at my place for a change. Tanya was there, too. She and I really started to become great friends again. I know some people might think she's a horrible person, but she really isn't. She's been my best friend for years, she was there for me when I needed someone. What happened with Edward, was just jealousy. I knew she was over it now. I knew she was happy for me.

Summer was coming to an end, but that didn't matter. Edward and I were together. We had talked about this and Edward told me he made a decision; we was going to move here! He said that he wanted to be with me forever. That he could feel that I was the girl that he should marry. That he wanted to marry. I was thrilled. I would love having Edward here all the time. He was the best thing that ever happened to me. Though we weren't engaged yet, I knew it would only be a matter of time. We were soul mates.

"Anyone want a piece of bacon?" Tanya offered. Everybody declined. Only Tanya liked to have bacon at ten p.m. Strange girl.

I could see Edward trying to talk to Tanya. I really appreciated it. They tried to get along better as friends, because I persuaded him. I told him she wasn't that bad and that maybe he would like her one day.

Tanya told me that he was totally different than she thought he would be. She told me he was not at all her type. She made up this image of him in her mind and thought he was perfect, but he was completely different from her image. But that's okay. She saw the side of the handsome, mysterious stranger. But I got to see the other side of him. And that side was pretty dang good.

The end.

* * *

**I know. It's over. I'm so sorry. But I still have two stories left. I probably won't update very often, but I have every intention of finishing them, as I have told everyone before. I just want to finish one story at a time. I'm probably going to work on 'The phone call' next, because I'd definitely like it better. I'm not even sure if I'm going to keep this sequel to 'A wish upon a star'. So there. I said it.**

**I hope you'll try my other stories! If you liked this, you're probably going to like the other ones. And yeah, Tanya is a bitch in AWUAS, so if you missed that here, you can get it there.**

**Lots of love to all my loyal readers!**


End file.
